ALL-Ireland winner Justin McNulty showed no quarter on the football field - and has pledged to adopt a similar attitude when he plays on the Stormont stage.
The Lislea-born SDLP man, who helped Armagh claim the Sam Maguire in 2002, was the only new face to emerge from Newry and Armagh, where Sinn Féin garnered half of the six seats and unionists returned both William Irwin (DUP) and Danny Kennedy (UUP).
And while McNulty promises to raise numerous bread and butter issues like his constituency's "diabolical roads" and lack of rural connectivity, as well as championing two ring roads in Armagh, he'll perhaps understandably have wider GAA issues on his wish-list.
"I'd love to see the Casement Park stadium issue resolved in the incoming term," he said.
"I never played a home championship match in my own county and wouldn't like to see the same thing happen to Antrim footballers, whose dream it must have been as little boys to pull on the Saffron jersey and represent their county at Casement in a big championship encounter.
"It's incredible to think you can have a senior footballing career and not play on your own home pitch because of the obstacles in the way.
"I appreciate there are stakeholders who need to be appeased, but let's get it working and move things forward so this great stadium can be properly up and running as soon as possible."
The political status quo was maintained in Newry & Armagh, where 25-year-old politics and economics graduate Megan Fearon topped the poll for Sinn Féin, just a handful of votes ahead of running partner Cathal Boylan, who were both elected on the first count.
Ms Fearon had represented the constituency for the last four years after being co-opted when Conor Murphy, the then-MP, stood down as part of Sinn Féin’s policy of abolishing double jobbing.
Murphy, a former regional development minister, is also back in Stormont having taken the third Sinn Féin seat, and he is expected to be a pivotal part of his party's team in the next mandate.
All three pointed to the "thoroughly disciplined" campaign run by the party, which faced down any tenuous notion the SDLP had of taking a seat at their expense, and so Karen McKevitt missed out, having been a sitting MLA in neighbouring South Down.
Willie Irwin topped the poll with 1,163 votes over quota and streets ahead of his nearest rivals, and his surplus in turn helped Danny Kennedy over the line (although he had an increased personal first preference of 4,904).
Former DUP golden boy Paul Berry, dipping his toe back into regional politics after a period of exile, was nowhere in the race, while interestingly Emmet Crossan, representing the Cannabis is Safer Than Alcohol party, polled more than the Greens and Alliance combined.
Elected: William Irwin (DUP), Megan Fearon (SF), Cathal Boylan (SF), Conor Murphy (SF), Danny Kennedy (UUP, Justin McNulty (SDLP).
