Diarmuid Connolly has paid tribute to Lee Keegan one week on from the Mayo star's retirement from intercounty football.
Keegan called it a a day last week after over a decade at the top of his game. Commonly regarded as one of Mayo's greatest players, Keegan's retirement led to a series of tributes being paid to the GAA great.
And now Connolly, Keegan's greatest rival has followed suit. The pair went toe-to-toe numerous times over the years as Dublin and Mayo battled it out for football's greatest prize. While things may have gotten heated on occasion, the respect Connolly has for his former foe is clear to see.
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“What a season he had last year,” Connolly told BoyleSports. “He was probably Mayo’s standout player to me. It was a bit of a shock to me to see him hang up the boots so early to be honest.
"He’s a guy I really admire; when he played at number five he was really hard to stop, he took your focus because he liked going forward a bit and getting on the scoreboard."
Reflecting on their previous battles, Connolly recalls the time the two squared off in the 2016 All Ireland final replay. On that September day, both players had their moments, with the Dubliner scoring 1-1 while Keegan bagged a goal of his own.
“He caught me on the hop in the All-Ireland Final replay in 2016 when he got a goal off the run of play and that can knock you for six.
"We were lucky to win that game; they didn’t get over the line against us, so it may be disappointing for him never to get a Celtic Cross medal."
Even if Keegan gave Connolly a tough time when the two faced off, the St Vincent's man has only fond memories of his clashes with the Westport star.
“But I have great memories of playing guys like that. He may have been sent to man-mark me, but sometimes I ended up doing the marking. A lot of sides went defensive against us, but to be fair to Mayo they went toe-to-toe and that’s why the games were so exciting and often so close.
“I don’t believe I was a better player than Lee Keegan, I just played a different game. He was a top player for the Mayo side and they’ll miss him this season.”
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