Derry star Chrissie McKaigue called time on his 15 year inter-county career this week, bringing an end to a stellar innings.
The 35-year-old experienced both lean times and successful times with Derry, reflected by his unique achievement of representing the county in all four divisions of the National Football League, winning them all bar Division Three.
The Slaughtneil dynamo also won two Ulster titles in '22 and '23 as well as an All-Star in the first of those years.
Derry struggled for large parts of his inter-county career but McKaigue enjoyed great success with his club, playing a transformative role as they became one of the foremost dual clubs in the land.
He has already helped them to seven Ulster titles, four in hurling and three in football, having played in two All-Ireland club football finals.
McKaigue was a central figure in all of those successes but he wasn't playing in their Ulster hurling semi-final last weekend having focused solely on football with the club this year.
Speaking at the launch of the AIB Goal Mile, Brendan Rogers told us that it was down to niggly injuries, though he wouldn't rule out his return to hurling down the line.
"Probably just a personal decision," Rogers said.
"He's 35 now and ultimately he has to look after his body differently and maybe that was part of the decision, that he can only focus on one at a time in order to get the best of himself.
"That could change next year. He had a run of niggles there, if those clear up, he could be back again but it's difficult to do dual forever, that's why maybe it is seen as a bit of a dying breed.
"I definitely want to try and do it for as long as I can. Why not."
Rogers won man-of-the-match in their provincial hurling semi-final victory at the weekend, stating in his post-match interview that Slaughtneil had 're-jigged things as to how we handle ourselves as a dual club.'
He said that the main change they've made is combining hurling and football in their training sessions, rather than training on separate nights.
He said McKaigue, in his role as a GPO, was central to the change, ultimately giving them more time between sessions.
"Chrissie has tried to be more innovative since he took on the GPO role with the club regards approaching our training and getting the most out of it," Rogers says.
Brendan Rogers of Slaughtneil in action against Paddy Burke, behind, and Ruairí Ó Mianáin of Ruairí Óg during the AIB Ulster GAA Hurling Senior Club Championship final match between Ruairi Óg, Antrim, and Slaughtneil, Derry, at Páirc Esler in Newry, Down. Photo by Ben McShane/Sportsfile
"We have 20/25 dual players, a significant number when it comes to managing training loads in a week. So we adopted a dual session approach, doing both of them on the one night.
"Not everyone is doing both but we just swap over half way through the session, switching from one code to the other.
"Even more so, it manages your training load but it also gives you an extra night at home for family life. It caters for that as well. It also helps in terms of looking after the body for the old hands like myself.
"It gives you that extra day to look after the body, letting you do whatever needs done and I think it's been fresh for us. I think boys have valued the time off, giving them a kick to go at training the nights that we're there.
"I think we have to keep trying these things if we want the duality to last."
Slaughtneil dual players Brendan Rogers and Chrissie McKaigue. Sportsfile.
Rogers paid a hearty tribute to his club-man McKaigue for his influence on the county of Derry, stating that he has much more to give, indicating a future in coaching.
"A great player, a never-say-die attitude, a total professional.
"Sport's his life and I don't think sport will stop for him here, whether it's coaching, GPO with Slaughtneil.
"He's involved with St Pat's Maghera school as well. I don't think this is the end for Chrissie, it's just a change in direction for him. A brilliant career, whether he got any trophies or not, it was a brilliant career because of how he conducted himself, the level he brought himself to.
"He was always marking top-calibre players. 35 years of age and marking David Clifford, and doing a good job on him - it's something to be said."
Pictured is former Kilkenny hurler, Walter Walsh who has teamed up with AIB to support the GOAL mile. As part the campaign AIB is offering people who register for the GOAL Mile the chance to win one of the ten €1,000 prizes for their GAA, Camogie, or LGFA club. To win, people need to register for their GOAL Mile and then enter the AIB GAA GOAL Mile competition at www.aibgaagoalmile2024.com
Mandatory Credit ©INPHO/Dan Sheridan
