Keegan not prepared to ‘get pitchforked out of Mayo’ by tipping Roscommon victory

Former Mayo All-Star Lee Keegan believes that Roscommon are in with a shout of upsetting Mayo in Dr. Hyde Park on Saturday evening, although he has stopped short of tipping Davy Burke’s men for victory.

Writing in his RTÉ GAA column online, Keegan predicted that Roscommon won’t be lacking in motivation, given that they’ve lost to their western rivals twice already this season, adding that it was “a free shot” for the Rossies against a Mayo team “reeling” from the loss of their captain, Paddy Durcan, to injury.

“This is their chance to take a big scalp in what has been a damp squib campaign so far.

“On paper, Roscommon have a really good crop of forwards but their cagey, risk-averse approach in the league wasn't helping.

“The first three-quarters on Saturday (against Dublin) was much more encouraging in that regard and their full-forward line. (Diarmuid) Murtagh, (Daire) Cregg and (Conor) Cox, all scored three points apiece from play against the best team in the country. The raw talent is actually there.

“In the Connacht semi-final, their full-forwards got plenty of ball but wayward shooting let them down. That was rectified to a certain extent in the first hour in Croke Park and if they can replicate that this weekend, they could have a relatively inexperienced Mayo defence in bother,” he suggested.

Keegan also felt that if Enda Smith could “recover his 2023 mojo”, then the Rossies could be in with a shout of ending their losing streak.

“Naturally, I'd get pitchforked out of Mayo if I tipped them to lose to Roscommon of all teams, so I won't go that far. But it could be a tasty encounter all the same,” he predicted.