Netsiyanwa looking to see Liffey Celtics hit the ground running in WSL opener  

Liffey Celtics head coach, Hillary Netsiyanwa is hopeful his players can avoid a repeat of the difficult start to the Domino’s Women’s Super League they endured last season as they prepare to open their 2026/27 campaign at home against Limerick Celtics this Saturday.

The Kildare side found themselves empty-handed after their opening four games last year, but Netsiyanwa insists they are in a much better place ahead of their upcoming curtain raiser against last season’s Division One champions.

Indeed, Celtics have been bolstered by some big signings over the summer, with shooting guard Lynn Tunnah making the move there from Portlaoise Panthers, while former UC Davis guard, Nya Epps from California will also line out with the squad this season.

Fellow American, Brooke Kane returns to the Leixlip outfit after having enjoyed a very strong run with the team last year, during which they reached the Super League play-off semi-finals as well as the National Cup decider, losing to UCC Glanmire and Killester respectively in those fixtures.

These signings will almost certainly bolster the strong core of experienced campaigners that Liffey boasts in the likes of Áine O’Connor, Sorcha Tiernan, Katie Williamson and Clara Boyce, giving Netsiyanwa every reason to feel encouraged heading into the new season.

“We've got a really talented and tenured squad there that can make a big push in the league,” insisted the Liffey Celtics boss. 

“Considering how far we went last year, it'd be a shame for us not to go further.

“So in everyone's mind and as part of our goals, we want to make sure we achieve as much as we possibly can with the squad that we have this year.

“We were just short on the National Cup final last year and then had a really bad game in the semi-final of the league.

“Despite everything that happened throughout the year last season we were still able to achieve a lot with what we had, so, looking at what we have now, I know Aine, Katie, Sorcha, Clara, and the rest of the team are very determined to get back to a final, to win the league, and to walk away with some silverware this year,” he said.

Netsiyanwa is happy with the new recruits he has secured over the off-season, predicting that the arrival of Epps and Tunnah will provide them with even more of a shooting threat.

“We're at a different place than we were last season, with a year of all being together and adding in Lynn Tunnah and Nya Epps as well, and bringing Brooke back for a bit of continuity,” he insisted.

“Nya and Lynn have been really good additions for us. They add exactly to what we want as a team. Brooke’s really delighted to be back. She's a really smart player, a really smart person.

“Being able to have a couple of shooters on the floor makes life easier for us and a little bit harder for other teams to be able to guard everybody. It gives us more options.

“It's a long season, but pre-season's been going well so far, and the whole aim is to hit the ground running and not have any immediate pressure like we had last season,” he stressed.

Another massive plus for Netsiyanwa has been the addition of Suzanne Maguire to his backroom team.

Maguire previously led Liffey’s Senior One side to a wealth of success, including National Intermediate League and Cup honours over recent years, and was only recently appointed, together with Karl Kilbride, assistant coach to Ireland Senior Women’s National team boss, Thomas Garlepp.

“Suzanne, coming in, has been a massive addition to our coaching staff,” said Netsiyanwa. 

“She just got announced as the assistant coach of the senior Irish women's team, so it's great news for her, for us, for the club as well, and I'm delighted to have someone like that with me for the season,” he added.

While Liffey appear to be on a very sound footing as they look to bag some early Super League points, they will be shouldering all the pressure heading into their opener against a Limerick side that only secured promotion to the top ranks last season.

And while they may be regarded as underdogs this weekend, Limerick have recruited well over the summer and have players with the potential to cause an upset.

Among the big signings they secured are Jeni Levine, a highly-rated point guard from Virginia, and former Wichita State forward, Treasure Thompson, who was selected to the American Conference All-Academic squad earlier this year.

Add to that, other serious competitors in the likes of Anna Nealon, Meabh and Emer Purtill and Katie Black, and Limerick have the personnel in place to really put it up to Liffey Celtics on Saturday.

“Limerick are one of those teams where their history throughout the club is very rich,” remarked Netsiyanwa. 

“They've got a lot of players coming through their system, so it's almost a bit of an unknown as to how they're going to perform in the Super League, especially in their first game.

“There's not a lot of expectation for a team that's coming into a new league, so it's really going to be a tough competition for us.

“They've got two really solid American players who have come in on top of their Irish core that they already had last year, so it's just shaping up to be a great game,” he said.