Kerry stars Kieran Donaghy and Michael Quirke will be able to concentrate exclusively on their football careers from now on following the decision by Abrakebabra Tigers Tralee to withdraw from top-flight basketball. The club has opted out of the Nivea for Men SuperLeague for the coming season, partly because of the unavailability of their GAA stars. "With Kieran Donaghy injured and concentrating on trying to play with the Kerry footballers, basketball was not a priority for him," Tigers spokesman 'Pop' Lynch told the Irish Examiner. "Michael Quirke also indicated he was not participating and with John Teehan unavailable to play in our away games, other options became very limited. "It is a very sad day for the club and for basketball in general as Tigers have contributed in a big way to the progression of the sport in this country." Donaghy said the decision was a huge disappointment to him. "On my own behalf, injury is restricting me at present and along with Michael Quirke, our football commitments make it impossible for a basketball team to plan. "Deep down, this hurts and it will be strange that there will be no team in Tralee this season," the 2007 Footballer of the Year added. Tweet

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