AIB Ulster Club Hurling Championship semi-final preview – Slaughtneil v Dunloy
By Brendan McTaggart
Slaughtneil captain Chrissy McKeague
Slaughtneil captain Chrissy McKaigue has been there, done that and seen it all in a Slaughtneil shirt both in hurling and football. He oozes class both on and off the pitch and was the last one leaving the O’Cahan Park pitch when we called to have a chat during the week. The 28 year old midfielder is a natural leader and is probably better placed than most to answer, what keeps Slaughtneil ticking? “This is our fifth county hurling title in a row and our fifth venture back in Ulster. I think only now we’re seeing the real capabilities of this hurling team. The boys are maybe starting to get more mature both physically and mentally. I think that there wasn’t much talk about how young our team was and has been for the last number of years. I think now we’re starting to mature a wee bit more and that’s what’s keeping us going. The young boys are really starting to see what this game’s about and starting to enjoy winning that wee bit more.”
It’s apparent, even from early in a conversation with the Slaughtneil Captain that the Robbies incredible achievements in recent times have come from a self-driven hunger and drive to reach new levels. Their improvements on the hurling field have been there for all to see, taking Cushendall to a replay three years ago before the Ruairi’s edged home by two points and two years ago it took 80 minutes in Armagh of high intensity drama before Cushendall took the spoils. Loughgiel bore the brunt of their frustration last year as Slaughtneil decimated the then Antrim champions in a blistering opening quarter where Brendan Rodgers and Sé McGuigan wrecked havoc in the Shamrocks defence. McKaigue told us that playing in the provincial competition brings the best out of his side and helps them to reach new levels: “When you go into Ulster in either football or hurling, the stakes are higher and the opposition gets better. I think it’s our mentality that has helped us along the way and the consistency. We couldn’t have achieved what we have in the last number of years if we weren’t consistent in what we were doing in training, in our lifestyle and we brought that into our game. We’re fortunate that our young players have been used to winning. Whether that’s been with St Pat’s Maghera or the county minors and u21’s or whatever it is. Even at our own underage, they haven’t been too far away from winning so when you’re used to winning, you expect to win and when you expect to win quite often you do win. We’re quite lucky that these young boys have come in with that mentality and some of the older boys, who maybe haven’t had as much success but have more hurt in them to help drive us on. There’s a really nice balance there.”
The average age within the Slaughtneil squad is 23, a stat that McKaigue rightly pointed to during our discussion. It’s something that has alluded many when it comes to this Slaughtneil team and the Robbies Captain told us that there are parallels to be drawn with the Cuchullains youth resurgence in recent times: “There’s always a conscious effort in Slaughtneil but time and life in sport is everything. There’s been a group of boys who have come through who are very, very talented. Our underage at the minute is maybe not as strong but all you need is maybe three or four players coming through. Quite often you might not even get that but I think Dunloy are benefitting something similar to ourselves in that they have a real ‘freakish’ kind of batch coming through all at the one time.
“For us in Slaughtneil it’s always been about getting players to play senior irrespective of how good they are because that’s what keeps the club alive, how well they can compete at senior level but I wouldn’t say there’s been anything that’s been done at underage level. I think it’s been a combination of hard work and commitment and pride in what we’re about.”
Despite not playing each other in recent times, McKaigue told us that they are confident they know what they are coming up against on Sunday: “I’ve said over the last number of years that there are no secrets anymore. Everyone has access to videos and that’s the reality of it. That’s the way it should be, what’s the point in hiding? If we win our games you come up against better quality and you have to analyse the opposition but the opposition is analysed by everyone nowadays.
“Dunloy will know us relatively well and will we know them. We might not have played each other a lot but both teams will be well prepared as both teams have good management set ups. That’s what you would expect when it comes to an Ulster semi-final and we’re looking forward to the challenge as I’m sure so are Dunloy.
“Every year presents a different challenge for us. You look at the four football championships we’ve won in a row in Derry, we’ve played four different clubs in the final and in the hurling five in a row we’ve played every team there is to play in Derry. Every opposition brings a different challenge and now Dunloy will bring something different to what Loughgiel and Cushendall have done in the last few years.
“That’s the beauty of sport, isn’t it? There’s always someone to prove wrong or someone to prove right. We’ll be giving Dunloy our full respect and go out to play them as best we can.”
