GAA hotlist - Mayo's captain Lee Keegan emphasises leadership skills
Saturday 5 August 2017 18:24, UK
GAA fans were treated to a feast of football from Croke Park this weekend with wins for Armagh, Monaghan and Kerry, while Mayo and Roscommon couldn't be separated and will have to do it all again next Monday.
On Saturday evening, Monaghan kept their All-Ireland dreams alive with an eight point victory over Down with Conor McManus once again the standout performer contributing 10 points in total. The Farney men were beaten by the same opponents in the Ulster semi-final earlier in the summer but were determined not to make the same mistake twice.
Their reward for victory is a daunting return to Croke Park next Saturday to face the current All-Ireland champions Dublin in what will be a real litmus test of their progress in recent years.
Kieran McGeeney will be a happy man this week having plotted a hard-fought victory for his Armagh team over his former team Kildare with a full-time score of 1-17 to 0-17. They went into the game as big underdogs but finished the game as deserved winners with standout performances from Jamie Clarke and Andrew Murnin. Tyrone now lie in wait for next Saturday evening with a sell-out crowd expected at HQ.
On Sunday, Kerry were the first team to book their place in this year's All-Ireland semi-finals with a below-par victory over Galway. In the end they won the game by eight points, a score line which ultimately flattered the Kingdom and they will be heading back to Kerry with quite a lot of work to do on the training ground this week.
Kieran Donaghy rolled back the years with a high-fielding masterclass and ended the day with 1-1. Brian Kelly, the other standout performer on the Kerry side with some point-blank saves which kept Kerry in command throughout the game. Had Kelly not been in such inspiring form it could have been a whole different story. The Galway forwards cut through the Kerry defence with ease at times and they won't get away with that against the bigger teams.
Mayo and Roscommon will have to do it all again next Monday at 2pm after a thrilling 2-9 to 1-12 draw in front of a crowd of 65,000 people.
A blistering start by Roscommon had them leading the game by 2-2 to 0-1 after just eleven minutes but in typical Mayo fashion the men in green and red dug deep and persevered right to the very end to survive once again and will get another bite at the cherry next weekend.
Inspiring individual displays, terrific team performances and another look at our GAA weekend hotlist.
Lee Keegan
The Mayo captain showed every ounce of leadership, skill and passion that he has on Sunday, contributing 1-3 on the scoreboard, and stood up to be counted when Mayo needed it most and earned himself the man of the match award for his efforts as well.
Mayo were seven points down after just eleven minutes and Keegan's goal immediately after Roscommon's second was the shot in the arm that Mayo badly needed as they were in danger of being left behind very early on.
The Westport man and last year's Player of the Year has become one of the most important players for Stephen Rochford over the last number of years and his performances bring the best out of those around him as well. He can man mark, he has serious pace and he is well able to score at the other end as well. A standout performance from the Mayo No 5.
Armagh Footballers
June 4 2017 in Newry is a day every Armagh native will want to forget and no doubt most have forgotten at this stage. Most apart from the players as the shock defeat to Down that day is driving them on in this Championship. Two months later and four wins on the bounce and they are this week relishing a crack against their bitter rivals Tyrone in the All-Ireland quarter-final on Saturday.
That takes a lot of heart, grit and determination and the Armagh players and management are determined to prove to the country that they have all of these qualities and that they will give any team a game.
Following that loss to Down, the players themselves said they didn't do themselves justice that day and they wanted to rectify that and have now accounted for Fermanagh, Westmeath, Tipperary and Kildare and deserve huge credit for how well they have recovered and refocused since that set back.
They were outstanding in every area of the field on Saturday against Kildare and you could see at the end how much it means to them as a team.
Kieran Donaghy
At 34, you would think that Kieran Donaghy would be starting to lose some of his agility and sharpness to the young lads who are only starting out. If Sunday is anything to go by he is getting better and better and isn't going anywhere any time soon.
On Sunday he put in a high-fielding masterclass and was a nuisance from start to finish for the Galway backs helping himself to 1-1 on the day as well as playing provider for his team mates as well.
It is refreshing to see the hunger the man still has once he crosses the white line and once again has shown that he is one of the best aerial performers around. Between midfield and the full forward line he buzzes around constantly, hungry for any chance at all he might get however small it might be and had Kerry fans smiling on Sunday evening heading home.
Sky Sports live GAA coverage continues on Saturday with the All-Ireland SFC quarter-finals. Tyrone v Armagh, live on Sky Sports Arena from 3pm and Sky Sports Main Event from 3.15pm followed by Dublin v Monaghan, live on Sky Sports Arena from 6pm.
For those on the move you can get updates via our live blog at www.skysports.com/GAA or @SkySportsGAA
