Limerick Huskies Head-Coach Patrick O'Regan looks ahead to 'mouth-watering' Celtics clash

LIMERICK SPORT HUSKIES Head-Coach Patrick O'Regan says he is looking forward to this weekend's 'mouth watering' Limerick derby against county rivals Limerick Celtics.

READ MORE: Limerick Celtics and Limerick Sport Huskies clash in opening round Division One derby

The Huskies kick start the new season when they host the Celtics at Limerick Educate Together with a 4.45pm tip-off tomorrow evening. 

O'Regan states that it is a 'great opportunity and privilege' to be given the chance to coach the Huskies ahead of the 2025/26 season.

"Its a really great opportunity and it's a privilege to have the chance to coach the Huskies, to be able to come into a really good environment that Trevor Moore has set from last year," he said. 

The Kerry native says that this year is about building on the groundwork that went before him  in the last number of years.

"This year is just about trying to build as much as we can on the groundwork that Trevor has put in the last few years."

The Huskies have recruited a raft of new players as the new season approaches. As well as having a strong core of Irish players, the club have brought in quality players from abroad, with the likes of Clara Gomez from Spain and Shelby Harmeyer, a former Limerick Celtics player.

"We've recruited really well, we've recruited an excellent Spanish player who's played at a really high level in Clara Gomez and we have a former Limerick Celtics player in Shelby Harmeyer who brings great experience to the squad, we have had Megan Buckley return who is part of a really strong core of Irish players alongside the likes of Orlaith Woods, Fiona O'Connell and Sophie Moore, who is only in her early twenties but her game has a lot of experience," O'Regan said.

"It's great as well that we have Olivia Stundon as our assistant coach this year, we have a really good environment and the excitement levels are really high having the Celtics the first game of the season.

We're also delighted to welcome Simon O'Shea, who has transferred from Super League side St Paul's, adding further strength and depth to our panel. While in addition Tori Spencer, Nafeesa and Keira Shyne and Sara Brazil are players to watch for the future."

The approach this season will be a game-by-game process for the Huskies, according to their head-coach, who says they will be treating every opponent with the utmost respect. 

"In terms of the season, we are going to take it game by game, it would be wrong of us to look past any opposition, it's a game by game basis.

Obviously we want to build on the progress that was made last year. We want to play a hard-nosed, defensive game and try the fast break as much as we can.

We have the athleticism and the speed to do so along with great experience in the post with Orlaith and then we have Hannah Cremin and Emily Hamill who are young players coming up and learning a lot from Orlaith," he said. 

Looking ahead to this weekend's clash with the Celtics, O'Regan says that it is a 'mouth-watering' tie. 

"It's going to be a really exciting game, they have some really talented players, both from an Irish point of view and the recruitment side of things. Jordan Hehir and the Hehir family have always been in incredible in doing that so it is going to be a really tough test," he said. 

"What we're trying to do for that game is to take it game by game, we're not looking past that first game especially when you have a mouth-watering tie with Celtics. It would be great to have one-up on them early in the season if we can," O'Regan concluded.