Two All-Ireland semi-finals ended in two defeats for Slaughtneil last month. The Derry side lost out to Limerick's Na Piarsaigh in the All-Ireland club hurling semi-final and then a fortnight later to Nemo Rangers in the football semi-final.
Their odds going into the semi-finals contrasted greatly. They were long outsiders against Na Piarsaigh. Though, they gave the 2016 All-Ireland champions a real scare.
Slaughtneil were slight favourites against Nemo but would lose out in extra-time to the Cork and Munster champions.
Speaking on 2FM's Game On, Slaughtneil dual player Chrissy McKaigue admitted that in future, it could be difficult to sustain the club's competitiveness in both codes.
Slaughtneil have been Ulster hurling champions for the past two years. They have also been Ulster football champions three times in the last four years.
That time has seen them lose in two All-Ireland football finals - 2015 against Corofin and last year to Dr. Crokes.
"As fantastic as it has been in terms of what we have done at Derry and at Ulster level, I just think probably the whole thing caught up with us," said McKaigue.
There’s a great, almost, romanticism based around the dual component but going forward it’s actually very difficult to maintain and sustain.
Perhaps going forward next year we going to have to look at how we can do things a little bit more, almost, efficiently.
14 of the Slaughtneil players were involved in both hurling and football panel. Prior to the hurling semi-final, dual player Conor McAlister said that despite the club being favoured to win the football semi, there was no bias in terms of training time.
Following the game against Na Piarsaigh, Chrissy McKaigue's brother Karl spoke about the barriers to Slaughtneil's progression with the small ball. A lack of clubs at a similar level in Ulster means they must travel outside of the province for competitive games. The winter was spent organising challenge matches against clubs from Kilkenny, Wexford and Dublin. It's all time consuming and energy draining.
Chrissy McKaigue admitted that fatigue was definitely a factor when it came to extra-time against Nemo.
Though he did not suggest that the club should reconsider its priorities, McKaigue did say he may have to do so himself in the future.
"We have some fantastic dual players in this club but the reality is, it’s very, very difficult to do yourself justice and being the best hurler you can be or the best footballer you can be when you’re chopping and changing so much and that’s just the reality.
"I have always been a huge promoter for duality because I think as Gaels, that’s what we should be about, we should be promoting our national games irrespective of what part of the country we’re from.
"But there comes a time where perhaps you might just have to be, dare I say, selfish and say ‘look physically, mentally, emotionally, I can’t give much more here’. I might have to pick a code or give slightly more to a code.
"Now that’s not the Slaughtneil mantra or their way of doing things but going forward for some players that might have to be something."
Photo by Brendan Moran/Sportsfile
