Sport

Keith Higgins has his eyes on new memories for Mayo

Higgins first came to national attention as an All-Ireland-winning U21 captain in 2006 and has since gone on to collect three Allstars, win seven Connacht senior championship medals, and play in four All-Ireland senior finals
Higgins first came to national attention as an All-Ireland-winning U21 captain in 2006 and has since gone on to collect three Allstars, win seven Connacht senior championship medals, and play in four All-Ireland senior finals Higgins first came to national attention as an All-Ireland-winning U21 captain in 2006 and has since gone on to collect three Allstars, win seven Connacht senior championship medals, and play in four All-Ireland senior finals

TWENTY-YEARS ago Keith Higgins sat in the old Cusack Stand and watched Mayo lose an All-Ireland final replay against Meath.

He was 12 years old and blissfully unaware that he would go on to become one of Mayo’s all-time great Gaelic footballers.

The Ballyhaunis clubman first came to national attention as an All-Ireland-winning U21 captain in 2006 and has since gone on to collect three Allstars, win seven Connacht senior championship medals, and play in four All-Ireland senior finals.

Plus, Higgins has shed enough blood and spilt enough sweat and tears in pursuit of the Sam Maguire Cup to last a lifetime.

But these days he can’t help but cast his mind back to 1996, when Mayo last drew an All-Ireland final and played their part in two memorable arm wrestles with Meath.

At the time Higgins was more concerned with seeing his neighbour and local hero, David Nestor, in the green and red of Mayo than any talk of curses or ending ‘the long wait’.

Little did he know what lay in store.

“I remember the first game, a bus-load of us went up, I think we were in the old Nally Stand,” Higgins (inset) recalled last week. 

“We thought we had it. I don’t remember much from the replay of it, to be honest with you. I think I was only 12 at the time,” he laughs.

“The second day, I was actually down in the Cusack [Stand], but I was down the far side of it, so … I suppose as a 12-year-old, you’re just thinking the whole thing is great – a big row, and the crowd going wild! 

“But yeah, I actually don’t remember much from it, to be honest with you.”

Fast forward two decades and now Keith Higgins is one of those Mayo footballers who are in midst of their rest and recovery programme ahead of next Saturday’s All-Ireland final replay against Dublin.

When he sits down to chat, he’s only had 48 hours to process the hell-for-leather drawn match that went by in a blur. 

His body is still feeling the effects of going 79 minutes with the All-Ireland champions in heavy conditions, but his mind is already focused on October 1.

“You don’t know how to think, to be honest , coming off the pitch,” he says, smiling.

“You don’t know whether to be  disappointed that you didn’t win or relieved to have another chance. 

“It’s a bit of a mixture, really. Even that [Sunday] evening, you’re meeting the family and friends and all that, you don’t how to react.

“But the more you sit down, you just have to think ‘Yeah, we’ve another shot at it here’ – an awful lot to work on, an awful lot we can improve on. You just have to try and take that as a positive.”

Higgins’ season began on December 29 last when Mayo came together for their first collective training session under Stephen Rochford and company in Castlebar.

We assume his inter-county commitments will end, one way or another, next Saturday evening at Croke Park.

In between he’s won a Nicky Rackard Cup medal with the Mayo hurlers at Headquarters and returns to club duty as a dual player with Ballyhaunis the weekend after next.

If he’s feeling any stress or strain, though, he’s hiding it well.

“I suppose the fact that I only played two League games with Mayo … the injury probably helped,” he says in reference to the knee and hamstring problems that sidelined him during the spring.

“I came back in April or May, probably, a good bit fresher, I suppose – I hadn’t had all the training that the boys had done [laughs]!

“So yeah, I think at this stage now, in fairness to the likes of Barry Solan and the [other] strength and conditioning boys, they have us in good shape, so you kinda have to trust … what they offer us when it comes to this stage. So yeah, the body’s not too bad so far. So as long as it holds up for another few weeks, it’ll be all right.”