'Unbelievable joy' as Slaughtneil claim their fifth Ulster Senior Hurling Championship

‘Unbelievable joy’ was the feeling as Slaughtneil battled from behind to secure their fifth Ulster Senior hurling title.

The Derry champions had an incredible second-half performance as they turned around a seven-point halftime deficit to lift the trophy by the final whistle with a 2-19 to 1-19 victory.

Slaughtneil’s Jack Cassidy was incredibly proud of his teammates' efforts to have secured the Ulster title.

He said: “It is an unbelievable joy and feeling of pride to be wearing this jersey and winning on big days.

“We don’t take it for granted; we are proud of every single Ulster title we have won, and we are damn proud of this one today after the battle we went through.

“I watched Slaughtneil win three Ulster titles, I’ve watched Slaughtneil lose Ulster titles, and I have now won my second having lost two myself. 

“To be able to represent this jersey day in, day out for the people here today out to support us, the people who have gone before us, and the people that will wear it in the future it is an unbelievable feeling of pride.”

Portaferry shocked the Derry club as they came out of the blocks firing, establishing a commanding lead of eight points by the 25th minute mark.

The Down champions controlled the tempo of the first half as their pace and quick movement of the ball had the Derry men in deep trouble due to their sluggish start.

Cassidy said that he was almost dazed by the display of Portaferry in the first half.

He said: “ They were firing the ball over the bar and the ball over the bar.

“We didn’t play for 40 minutes, and that is obviously something we have to look at, but Portaferry, to be fair to them, put up an unbelievable fight, and they were first to every ball, and for 40 minutes they were the more hungry of the two teams.

“I think we had 10 missed chances in the first half, and everything they hit seemed to be going over. 

“We weren’t getting enough tackles in or working hard enough for each other but we turned that around in the second half with the two goals being massive in that game.”

On a day that saw shock results in Connacht and Munster, two quickfire goals in the second half from Se McGuigan and Shea Cassidy were the game-changers for the favourites ensuring they did not suffer the same fate.

Cassidy has pointed to the work done by the club at underage level as the key to their success, and he envisages further success with this current crop of players, but also in the future.

Slaughtneil will now face Cork side Sarsfield in the All-Ireland semi-final in two weeks time as they shocked Waterford’s Ballygunner in the Munster final.

While they will enjoy their Ulster success, Cassidy wants to see a much sharper performance in two weeks' time.

He said: “There is a hell of a lot of improving to do, and we hope to showcase it on the biggest stage in an All-Ireland semi-final. I can’t wait.”