Lee Keegan

Gaelic football analyst

'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

'Over the last seven or eight years, there's been a real niggle and bite to the games against Roscommon'

Attacking mark be damned, the Rossies' 'healthy hate'

The former Mayo star is happy with the Jim Gavin-led Football Review Committee, and he will be even happier if it consigns the forward mark to the dustbin of history.

Football • 29 Feb 24

Armagh-Donegal feels like a Division 1 clash in all but name

Managers feeling heat as league reaches pinch point

We're midway through the league at this point and managers weren't shy of unloading in front of microphones last weekend.

Football • 22 Feb 24

'It's a daunting enough challenge for Mayo, although they have happy memories of away days in Kerry'

Kerry-Mayo league tussle evokes plenty of memories

Ahead of this weekend's league meeting between the sides, Lee Keegan recalls some good away days for Mayo against the Kingdom.

Football • 15 Feb 24

'Had Mayo put in a similar display, they would have been ridiculed within their own county'

Anaemic Galway need to bounce back from no-show

Week one of the league, you're always wary of making any dramatic pronouncements but the manner of Galway's performance in Salthill was very disquieting.

Football • 01 Feb 24

'Of all the divisions, Division 2 is especially hard to predict'

Kerry the frontrunners but Derry are primed

Every county will have differing aims and targets in the Allianz Football Leagues, but there's no question the springtime fare will deliver a healthy portion of competitive drama.

Football • 25 Jan 24