Previous maulings play no part in Higgins’ motivation

ON the face of it, they shouldn’t have a lot in common but for Keith Higgins the mention of Kerry or London stir the same chastening feeling.

Mayo’s last championship outings against the sides were ones to forget. Naturally with time, the 2006 All-Ireland final is easier to rub away than this year’s Connacht opener but the Ballyhaunis man, although he protests to not remembering much of the day, can recount the facts like the margin of defeat. He can recall the hurt too. After what happened in 2004, the sense of déjà vu as well. And that decision not to accept a homecoming.

“It wasn’t that we wanted to get away from anything,” he explained about making that call, “but we were just kind of embarrassed coming home and people out cheering you after losing by 13 points or whatever it was, trying to face the public after being beaten like that.