By John Harrington

A dictionary of superlatives couldn’t do justice to what the footballers, hurlers, and camogie players of Slaughtneil continue to achieve.

Most people deemed it a once-in-a-lifetime achievement last year when they won a treble of senior Ulster club titles, but they’re very much on track to do it all over again this year.

Last Sunday their footballers ground out a hard-fought victory in the first round of the Ulster Club Football Club Championship over a crack Kilcoo team who had realistic ambitions themselves of winning a provincial title this year.

While this Sunday their hurlers and camogie players will bid to successfully retain their provincial titles when they play Ballygalget of Down and Loughiel of Antrim in their respective Ulster Finals.

Even Slaughtneil club chairman, Sean McGuigan, admits he doesn’t know how they’ve managed to sustain their form over such a long period of time.

“It's a nearly wee bit of an anti-climax,” he laughs. “That's an awful thing to say, but you're so used to them winning now.

“But whenever these players get beat they'll have to be applauded off the pitch because of what they've given to the locality, you just couldn't put it into words.

“I know they're very young and the average age of the panel are just 23 or 24, but, to be honest, I feel a bit sorry for them because they never do stop between the two codes.

“They're out every night training and I don't know where they get the energy from. They're a great bunch of lads to come along at the one time.

“They're very committed and have very good discipline. Serious discipline. Both on and off the pitch.”

Sacrifices have had to be made along the way, including not taking part in this year’s Derry U-21 Football Championship and fielding a weakened team for the U-21 Hurling Championship.

They simply couldn’t field their strongest teams at that level because so many of their U-21 players are also playing senior football and hurling.

Fulfilling the fixtures would have been next to impossible, so rather than hold up the U-21 championships Slaughtneil decided to focus their resources on their dual senior campaigns.

There’s a large crossover of players between the Slaughtneil football and hurling teams, and their ability to be so successful yet again this year on both fronts is a testimony to their mental strength as much as their physical endurance.

Only the club’s camogie team managed to go on and win All-Ireland honours last year, so perhaps the fact that both the footballers and hurlers failed to add national titles to their provincial crowns is what’s pushing them on.

Certainly the footballers regard their All-Ireland Final defeat to Dr. Crokes last St. Patrick’s Day as a missed opportunity, because they looked like the better team until the red-carding of Padraig Cassidy.

“They have a bit of unfinished business there,” agrees McGuigan. “It was a bit unfortunate on the day when the fella getting sent off, and that was so unlike him. But that's a long road off yet, there's a lot to be done before then.

“But they are very much as hungry now as they were last year. After we beat Dunloy in the hurling (Ulster semi-final) the players went into a huddle in the middle of the park and I wandered over to them.

“The manager had said a few words and then Chrissy (McKaigue) who's captain said, 'Lads, feet back down on the ground, we've won nothing yet'.

“They've won so much and you might think some of those lads might get a wee bit carried away with themselves but I've never seen so many level-headed fellas in the one group in my life, to be honest.”

It surely helps that they have plenty of level-heads working hard at committee level in the club too.

McGuigan is something of a local legend for the amount of work he does for the cause, but he prefers to spread the credit around.

“We've a very good committee,” he says. “There's women on our committee - the camogie is involved and we're all the one now. With the camogie board, we sit in on their meetings as well.

“We have a very, very good committee. In fact, my son in law is the secretary and my daughter (Denise) who plays midfield for the senior camogs is the treasurer.

"So, it's a bit of a family affair. As regards my son in law, Oliver McCusker, our club wouldn't tick without him. Nobody ever sees the amount of work he does but a good secretary in a club is worth their weight in gold.”

Slaughtneil haven’t just been very busy on the pitch in recent weeks, things have been pretty hectic off it too for the committee members.

The club will host a Gala Dinner in the Tullyglass Hotel in Ballymena on November 4th for 75 tables of guests.

By then they could be back to back Ulster hurling and camogie champions and two games from also winning back to back Ulster club football titles.

A second provincial football title in a row would be an especially incredible achievement considering the quality in the province, but you wouldn’t doubt them at this stage.

“If Slaughtneil get three or four points ahead of you it's very hard to peg them back again because they're great at defending a lead,” says McGuigan.

“They're just hard to explain, they honestly are!

“But I'm really enjoying watching them and I think everyone should because this will run out eventually and you should make hay while the sun shines.”