Lee Keegan

Gaelic football analyst

Armagh stuck in straitjacket, Derry ready to rock again

We're in that strange part of the season where the provincials are done and dusted, the trophies have been handed out - and hoisted with varying degrees of enthusiasm - and we're now dipping our toe into the lengthy round-robin phase of the competition.

Football • 16 May 24

Lee Keegan: 'You have to embrace that pressure. If I was an Armagh player this weekend, the buzz of going to Clones, playing such a Donegal team, there is no need to pay any heed to the outside noise'

McGuinness looms, but time for Armagh to deliver

While Dublin look set to reign supreme in Leinster, the Ulster decider could go all the way to the wire, with Lee Keegan tentatively tipping Armagh's greater need to win as the deciding factor when they take on Donegal.

Football • 09 May 24

Mayo-Galway 'one of the best rivalries in the sport'

Connacht success key for Mayo despite dodgy draw

The Connacht final winners on Sunday will have the dubious reward of a meeting with Derry first up in the group phase but provincial deciders between Galway and Mayo are special nonetheless.

Football • 02 May 24

'Ryan McHugh is emblematic of Donegal's transformation'

Donegal on Ulster trail after Celtic Park ambush

Jim McGuinness is back and gunning for an Ulster title while Derry could yet benefit from their five-week hiatus.

Football • 25 Apr 24

'The one thing that always freaked me out about Hyde Park - that graveyard'

Derry's conundrum, Jim's return and Rossies' graveyard

Last weekend's fare was stodgy and uninspiring. Hopefully it'll be a world away this weekend in front of a packed house in Celtic Park.

Football • 18 Apr 24

'it's not the week-on-week schedule (that's the issue), it's the adjustment from league to championship'

Opening weekend shocks and managerial outbursts

The opening weekend of the championship provided some surprises although also underlined the impact of the short timeframe from the end of the league.

Football • 11 Apr 24

'The weekend of the Connacht game in New York is part championship match and part fundraising summit'

Derry flag up Dublin flaws and New York tales

Derry proved they were the real deal and flagged up some vulnerabilities in the Dublin make-up at Croke Park on Sunday.

Football • 04 Apr 24

'So many teams go into games against Dublin with a system that doesn't work - and they know it too'

Dublin have the smarts to decode Derry game plan

Derry have a proven system but Dublin seem to have the game intelligence and the flexibility to crack any code, writes our columnist ahead of the Allianz Football League Division 1 final.

Football • 28 Mar 24

'What does relegation from Division 1 mean? For some teams, it doesn't mean a lot'

Relegation to Division 2 far from the end of the world

Relegation to Division 2 can be merely a speed bump, provided you come straight back up quickly.

Football • 21 Mar 24

Thoughts are turning to the championship for many

Inter-county code of silence not helping the sport

We're back for the final block of league matches and the championship is looming large in teams' minds. It's an intriguing period, but a culture of secrecy and blandness - fuelled by managerial paranoia - means our games are not being shown in the best possible light.

Football • 14 Mar 24