DUBLIN (National Cup) - The Nivea For Men SuperLeague and Women's SuperLeague Championships will take a break this weekend and will make way for the National Cup competitions.
 
Whilst the Women's SuperLeague will not be partaking in the cup until December, the Men will be leading the way in the action nationwide in search of National Cup glory.
 
One of the games of the round would have to be the tussle between local rivals DART Killester and Hoops on Sunday at the IWA Arena in Clontarf with a 3pm tip-off.
 
It will be a true Northside v Southside encounter, and both sides will be putting their 100% starts to the domestic season on the line with the Dart's sitting pretty on top but Hoops lurking in the shadows in third.
 
Killester face a lack of personnel with John Quigley out with an ankle knock and Darren O'Moore sidelined with a broken thumb.  However, the biggest news from the DART camp is new American signing John DeGrout has left for the pastures of Finland after just two competitive games at the club.
 
DART coach Mark Keenan is airing in the side of caution but believes that the crowd can make a big difference to this weekend's potential cliffhanger.
 
"I watched Hoops against Tralee and they are a fine side. They really worked hard and they will cause us trouble but the Wheelchair Association is a great venue and when it is packed it will be like an extra man to us,” said Keenan
 
Hoops will go into the game with Conor Anhert being the notable absentee.  Anhert is out following a car accident two weeks ago, which has left him with a knee injury.
 
The other local clash this weekend will see Mustang Sally St. Paul's host Kerry neighbours Abrakebabra Tigers at the Presentation College in Killarney on Saturday Night at 7pm.  The Saints will be without Ger Noonan who has received ten stitches in his hand after an accident in work, while Justin Winguard must still sit on the sideline with a broken Metatarsal.
 
Former St. Paul's player John Teahan will line out for a full strength Tigers side who will see Kerry GAA star Kieran Donaghy return after training with the International Rules team.  The game sold out in two hours and will be broadcast live on Radio Kerry
 
Limerick Lions will be getting their SuperLeague National Cup campaign underway with a trip to Ballina to play Merry Monk on Saturday at 8pm.  It's their second meeting in a week with Ballina having won the league encounter last week down in UL. The league game was a close affair, and although Ballina led throughout, with less than 2 minutes remaining it was a two-point game. Ballina made the better decisions in the last minute and got out with a 7 point winning margin.
 
The cup game is also set to be a close affair. Limerick will have Matt Hall and Stephen King back from injury, and will travel northwards with a full squad. The Lions will face a large home support in Ballina, with Merrymonk promising to be at full strength.  Ronan McGarrity should make his return to the fray after injuring his shoulder last week but will face a late fitness test.
 
St. Vincent's play host to Neptune at St. Vincent's CBS on Saturday with an 8pm tip-off.  Neptune will be going into this encounter brimming with confidence.  The Corkmen claimed a memorable victory over the Saints in their own backyard in the League last season and will be hoping for a similar result on Saturday.
 
Neptune will be hoping to capture another to bolster their reputation as Ireland's most successful club.  They will also be looking forward to seeing former star Kenny Gamble line out against them.  Gamble won a league title with Neptune during his spell at his former employers.  Vincent's Mike Trimmer missed training on Monday with the flu but is expected to be ready for Saturday.
 
UCD Marian faces a stern test as they travel to Cork to take on fellow university side UCC Demons.  The cup-tie is a reverse of last week's league game which Marian won 96 – 89. 
 
Pape Ba, who has only played a very small amount in the two league games to date, is hoping to be able to play on Sunday.  Barry Drumm is still unable to play for UCD due to a leg injury sustained in practice.
 
Demons will be without Shane Coughlan who suffered a hand injury last week and will miss out the next couple of weeks.
 
Although there will be five losing side's after this weekend, the cup dream is not necessarily over.  Each winning side progress straight to the quarter finals while the five losing teams go into round two where they will join Star of the Sea, who received a bye at the cup draw.  The six teams will play three matches in round two and the winners will then go through to the quarterfinals.
 
The National Cup always produces a number of cup shocks and surprises.  Keep a close eye on www.basketballireland.ie for updates, scores and all the stats on the weekend's games.