Five moments that summed up the monster that is Lee Keegan

1 October 2016; Diarmuid Connolly of Dublin and Lee Keegan of Mayo tussle during the GAA Football All-Ireland Senior Championship Final Replay match between Dublin and Mayo at Croke Park in Dublin. Photo by Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile

In the oncoming wave of tributes, some will reference the fact Lee Keegan lost six All-Ireland finals like an anchor around his neck. To define such a remarkable career by those simplistic terms would be a travesty.

For those dim minds, sport can be boiled down to winners and losers. Them and us. It lowers Mayo’s greatest to the same level as everyone without a Celtic Cross. Such a diminishing is farcical. Keegan was on a different stratosphere to the majority. A refusal to accept mediocrity was his calling card.

What elevated him was defiance, mental strength and well-timed excellence. There is something particularly laudable and lyrical about great performances on losing teams. Shane Walsh, James McCarthy and Rian O’Neill all gave superb showings in that mould last year. Keegan did it for a lifetime. On the other side, it was his single-minded resolve that saved Mayo when the tide had turned and threatened to wash them away.

In 2019, the writing appeared etched on the wall for the county and Keegan. Dublin’s second-half blitzkrieg broke them both. Con O’Callaghan finished with two goals. Keegan finished on the ground after ankle, shoulder and hip issues had forced him to endure annual surgeries over the previous three years.

During lockdown he built a home gym and reconstructed his body. He never played for Mayo as a minor and was a fringe U21 so S&C and all that came with it was a foreign concept when he emerged as a senior. By 2020 he was back to his best. In the 2021 semi-final, he was man of the match on Con O’Callaghan and won an All-Star. He was nominated for another in 2022.

All the while leading the charge when he was swimming upstream. When James Horan’s side found themselves six points down against Galway earlier this year, it was a trademark Keegan burst forward and score than instigated the fightback. After a 20-minute dry spell against Monaghan, he kicked a bomb from distance.

In the first half against Kildare they were three down when he landed a beauty with the outside of the right. In the second half, the deficit was four as he did the same with his left before roaring for a response. Phenomenal moments. And they still wouldn’t crack his top five.

5. 2017 Roscommon goal, All-Ireland quarter-final 

30 July 2017; Lee Keegan of Mayo scores a goal in the 12th minute during the GAA Football All-Ireland Senior Championship Quarter-Final match between Mayo and Roscommon at Croke Park in Dublin. Photo by Ray McManus/Sportsfile

The cruellest of blows for Kevin McStay. He witnessed first-hand how devastating a weapon Keegan can be and now will never get the chance to utilise it for himself. Seven points up, Connacht champions Roscommon looked comfortable when Keegan raided and scored a goal. In total he scored 1-3. He also man-marked Enda Smith, keeping him to 0-1.

“Being seven points down, someone had to take the game by the scruff of the neck and put us back into a position to firstly compete and then obviously to go ahead, and I thought Lee did that very, very well,” said Stephen Rochford post-match.

4. 2017 Dublin goal, All-Ireland final 

17 September 2017; Lee Keegan of Mayo celebrates after scoring his side's first goal in the 54th minute during the GAA Football All-Ireland Senior Championship Final match between Dublin and Mayo at Croke Park in Dublin. Photo by Sam Barnes/Sportsfile

“Andy Moran gives it in beautifully to Keegan… he has scored again!” - Ger Canning.

As well as scoring a goal he kept Ciaran Kilkenny scoreless. The Dublin half-forward had 66 possessions in the semi-final against Tyrone. In the final he was limited to 20.
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3. Tyrone 2021 point, All-Ireland final 

11 September 2021; Lee Keegan of Mayo in action against Niall Sludden of Tyrone during the GAA Football All-Ireland Senior Championship Final match between Mayo and Tyrone at Croke Park in Dublin. Photo by Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile

Of all his stunning last stands, this was the greatest. An incredible one-man resistance when so much around him was misfiring. His point was powerful. Down by five with ten minutes left, Keegan unleashed a rocket from outside the 45. Could not have done more.

2. Dublin 2021, All-Ireland semi-final 

14 August 2021; Lee Keegan of Mayo during the GAA Football All-Ireland Senior Championship semi-final match between Dublin and Mayo at Croke Park in Dublin. Photo by Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile

50 minutes on the clock. Dublin attack and lead by four. Lee Keegan is standing alongside Con O’Callaghan on the edge of the D. It looked frighteningly familiar until it didn’t. Niall Scully is tackled, Mayo break, Keegan takes off and O’Callaghan can’t keep up. He is left lagging behind; Keegan sets the big house ablaze.

1. Lee Keegan vs Diarmuid Connolly 2016, All-Ireland finals 

1 October 2016; Diarmuid Connolly of Dublin and Lee Keegan of Mayo during the GAA Football All-Ireland Senior Championship Final Replay match between Dublin and Mayo at Croke Park in Dublin. Photo by Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile

His ultimate adversary, the finest match-up this century. For a single moment, Keegan’s goal in the replay is unforgettable. One remarkable stat also stands out. Overall, Keegan and Diarmuid Connolly faced each other five times between 2013 and 2016. The final tally from play? 1-4 apiece. That is what defined Lee Keegan. He kept coming back and going toe-to-toe with the best.