As Ireland were cantering to victory against a pathetic Italian team in Rome, back at home there was one set of underdogs doing their job: Slaughtneil's All-Ireland odyssey will get its final, Croke Park chapter after a stunning victory against St Vincent's this afternoon.
The Derry side edged a nervy game 0-12 to 0-10 in Newry this afternoon. Having trailed by a point at half-time, Slaughtneil reeled off a few scores in a row to hit the front at 0-10 to 0-07, and they ultimately held onto the lead to the end. The hero of the hour was Chrissy McKaigue, who accomplished the dual feats of kicking 0-04 while marking Diarmuid Connolly out of the game.
It's a remarkable achievement by Slaughtneil, who are on course for an amazing and historic All-Ireland treble: the club's camogie side are into their All-Ireland final, and the hurlers face Cuala in a semi-final on February 25 for the chance to make history and headaches for the GAA's fixture-makers.
Remarkably, eight of today's side are likely to play for the hurlers. It is a remarkable achievement for a pretty small rural club, and the Derry GAA account were eager to put their extraordinary achievement in perspective. For the first time, victory causing indulgence in Google Maps.
Small is Beautiful. #TheToughest pic.twitter.com/zeXc7B0CyC
— Derry GAA (@Doiregaa) February 11, 2017
Dublin's Alan Brogan was unimpressed with this, however:
Little ungracious from the Derry GAA official twitter account. Maybe just enjoy the victory and dont worry about the size of Marino. https://t.co/tYtB37a8oX
— Alan Brogan (@alanbrogan13) February 11, 2017
You can catch the best of the reaction to a remarkable achievement here.
See Also: 'It Would Be Easier To Create An Atmosphere On An Abandoned Club Field'
