Keegan claims former team-mate has ‘healthy hate’ for Roscommon

Former Mayo All-Star and Footballer of the Year, Lee Keegan, has claimed that former team-mate, Andy Moran, has a “healthy hate” for Roscommon.

Writing in his RTÉ GAA column online ahead of the counties’ league meeting in Castlebar on Saturday evening, Keegan described the rivalry in Ballaghaderreen ahead of big games was “pretty feisty”.

“In Westport, the Roscommon rivalry wouldn't be front and centre of our minds often, but where Andy is, over in Ballaghaderreen, it gets pretty feisty.

“Naturally, Andy hates Roscommon. He'd make no bones about that. Absolutely hates them.

“Maybe I should caveat that and describe it as a 'healthy hate', if you can imagine such a thing. Among the players themselves, there's respect. But the games have a real needle to them. That wouldn't be anything new with Roscommon, who pride themselves on bringing real aggression to games against Mayo and Galway,” he said.

Keegan also remarked that the Rossies took “absolute glee” in shocking Mayo in last year’s provincial championship, seven days after the “Green and Red” had claimed the Division One League title in Croke Park.

“It wasn't a one-off either. They turned us over in James Horan's first year back in 2019, on their way to a third Connacht championship that decade.

“In fact, in my time playing, they won the same number of Connacht titles as Galway, though there was always a perception that they were the number 3 team in the province.

“For that reason, there was always a keen respect for Roscommon in the Mayo dressing room and in the threats they posed — in the latter years of my career at least. Pre-2017, it might not have been there to the same extent,” he said.