'Safety net' factor contributed to Mayo's defeat - Lee Keegan

Former Mayo GAA star Lee Keegan, now working as a pundit on the popular GAA show, The Sunday Game, has stated that Mayo's defeat to Roscommon in last Sunday's Connacht SFC quarterfinal could yet prove a blessing in disguise for Kevin McStay's charges.

In his weekly column on the RTÉ website, he elaborated: "Don't get me wrong, I do think the team would have wanted to win a provincial title and take the top seed slot.

"Mayo, after all, have only won two Nestor Cups since 2015. It's not like we're winning them year in, year out. We're anything but dominant at provincial level.

"Yeah, we won two in a row in 2020 and 2021 but that was coming on the back of a five-year gap.

"In his first year, Kevin had won an FBD and a National League and I reckon he wanted to keep that run going.

"I know the MacHale Park factor was floated again.

"Of Mayo's six defeats in Connacht since 2016, five have come in Castlebar.

"I think more central than any issue with the venue is Mayo's failure to perform to the same level when there's a safety net provided, which has been a common theme since the middle of the last decade.

"It's worth noting that the only two Connacht titles that we have won in the past eight years came in the two straight knockout seasons.

"Nonetheless, the result offers a chance to re-charge.

"Could Mayo have sustained that intensity and high performance over 10 weeks of games? I don't think so.

"The break will do them no harm given how the league panned out.

"With six weeks to plan, they can down tools now. Give the guys a bit of freedom and come back for the group stages with a bit more energy. I think they're going to be ready if they get the work done now.

In the grand scheme of things, all Sunday means is that your rivals got one up on you.

"But Mayo will still be in the group stage in late May, with the All-Ireland series to come."

His full column can be read here.