LEE KEEGAN admits that Galway’s comfortable victory in Castlebar on Sunday is further evidence that the balance of power has shifted in Connacht.
Mayo legend Keegan lamented the ‘ponderous, laboured’ performance produced by his county in their 0-26 to 0-16 defeat.
Having also lost their National League opener against Dublin, Kevin McStay’s side are languishing at the foot of the Division 1 table alongside Derry.
Key players such as Aidan O’Shea, Tommy Conroy, Paddy Durcan and Jordan Flynn have yet to feature for Mayo in 2025.
But Keegan told SunSport: “It’s not as straightforward as saying they’ll come back in and steer the ship right away.
“It’ll take them a little time to integrate into the new rules, the set-up of the team and match fitness is a big thing as well.
“I felt Mayo would probably struggle in Division 1 this year. I think they’re a little bit off the pace in terms of the rules.
“And even though Kevin said he thought they were in a good place in terms of conditioning, it didn’t look that way to me on Sunday.
“There’s a lot to work on. I wouldn’t be pushing panic buttons in the first week of February but they’re a bit off where the other teams are at the moment.”
One positive highlighted by Keegan was the performance of Breaffy forward Davitt Neary, who also impressed in his debut against the Dubs.
The 2016 Footballer of the Year said: “I thought he had a really good game. He was very industrious and kicked three points.
“I’ve marked him at club level and he has a bit of needle about him too. Paul Towey did OK as well in the first half. Outside of that, you’re kind of scraping the barrel.
“Setting the new rules and that aspect of it aside, it’s largely Mayo’s second team and they’re just not up to the quality of some of the other Division 1 teams.
“That was so clear on Sunday in comparison to the depth that Galway had. They were nearly light-years ahead in terms of what they were doing.
“Everything about Galway seemed smooth, whereas it looked like a struggle for Mayo.”
Mayo have not been Connacht champions since Keegan won the Nestor Cup for the seventh time in 2021.
They were on the cusp of claiming a provincial title last summer, only to squander a two-point lead in stoppage time as Galway sealed their third in a row.
The Tribe went on to reach the All-Ireland final for the second time in three years but suffered a one-point loss to Armagh.
Still, by starting their season with wins over the Orchard and Mayo, Pádraic Joyce’s men look primed for another Sam Maguire challenge.
Meanwhile, their neighbours’ battle to stave off the threat of dropping down to Division 2 will resume with the visit of Tyrone to Hastings Insurance MacHale Park on Sunday week.
Keegan, who retired from inter-county football ahead of the 2023 season, said: “Not getting that Connacht title last year really stung the Mayo public.
“Adding a relegation on top of that would definitely increase the pressure to produce the goods going into the Championship.
“Look, it might not be the worst thing either. We went down to Division 2 around Covid and still got to an All-Ireland final.
“But when you’re looking at some of the other teams, and having watched Armagh against Tyrone on Saturday night.
“I’d be a little worried about Mayo coming up against that kind of energy and intensity in the summer.
“I remember when we were in our pomp and we were three or four gears ahead of Galway, but it actually feels like it’s the opposite now. Galway are All-Ireland contenders.
“Mayo are trying to close the gap and it just doesn’t seem like it’s going to close for another while.
“Galway are on a different trajectory, whereas Mayo seem to be in a rebuilding process. Kevin will disagree with that but that feels to me like the reality of where both teams are at the moment.”
