Lee Keegan, one of Mayo’s all-time greats, has announced his retirement from inter-county football.
The news is a huge blow to the new management team led by Kevin McStay, with another key defender, Oisin Mullin, having already left for Australia to sign for AFL club Geelong.
Just last week McStay had said that he was “very hopeful” that Keegan would commit for another year.
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“That question is not answered yet but it is going to be answered pretty soon,” McStay commented.
"We've obviously met and cajoled him and coaxed him and got him into headlocks and kicked him and did whatever we could with him. But it's a big decision for him.”