Éanna lose out to Warriors in Super League semi-final
By Daire Walsh
There was no faulting their effort on the day, but DBS Éanna fell short to Tralee Warriors on a scoreline of 75-57 in the Irish Men’s Super League semi-final earlier this afternoon.
Lining out on their home turf of Coláste Éanna, Darren McGovern’s Ballyroan outfit were hoping to topple the Warriors and thus deny them a double success – following their triumph over C&S Neptune of Cork in the Men’s National Cup decider back in January.
While Stefan Zecevic and Romonn Nelson did what they could to keep Éanna in contention, superb defence from their Kerry counterparts saw them coming up short in the end. By comparison to the aforementioned Neptune’s victory over Ballincollig on the previous night – 92-75 was the final score in that Leeside derby – scores were much harder to come by in this game.
That said, Aaron Calixte and Darragh O’Hanlon were prominent in the early exchanges as Tralee developed a nine-point cushion. Yet with Neil Lynch, Josh Wilson and Daniel Heaney throwing their weight around, Éanna started to develop a more familiar rhythm.
The dynamic duo of Zecevic and Nelson started to flex their muscle, while Devin Gilmore also appeared from the bench as the action progressed. Although Tralee continued to hold the upper hand, Éanna were just six points in arrears (28-22) when the buzzer sounded for half-time.
However, Tralee sensed that they could push on during the third-quarter and proceeded to open up a sizeable gap. Former Kerry footballer Kieran Donaghy may be the star attraction in this Warriors side, but Calixte and Daniel Jokubaitis showcased their own qualities throughout the contest.
Moving into the final-quarter, Éanna were staring into a 49-35 deficit and the prospect of a dramatic fightback seemed unlikely. It wasn’t for the want of trying, however, as a Nelson three-pointer got the home supporters on their feet.
Yet Tralee – Super League winners in 2019 – were not to be denied. Jokubaitis and Calixte continued to extend their personal tallies, and ultimately set-up a repeat of this year’s National Cup final at the National Basketball Arena in Tallaght next weekend.