Throughout his GAA career, Lee Keegan was never a big fan of video analysis sessions.
In his RTÉ column, the former Mayo footballer analysed Padraic Joyce’s comments about Kieran Molloy, Robert Finnerty and Matthew Tierney when he was led to the topic of video analysis in the GAA.
Speaking after Galway’s one point National League win over Tyrone on Sunday, Joyce bemoaned wing back Kieran Molloy’s lack of ‘urgency’ in his game.
“Kieran Molloy knows, and we said it at half-time, he has to get more urgency in his game,” the Galway manager said,
“He didn’t do it; we gave him five minutes to try and do it. He didn’t do it.”
The Corofin man was duly substituted.
Joyce’s high standards for his players were particularly apparent after the game as, speaking on TG4, he described missed frees by Matthew Tierney and Robert Finnerty as ‘inexcusable.’ Goalscorer Cathal Sweeney was also given a rub, with Joyce stating that he ‘probably should have got the second goal as well if he stepped around the keeper.’
‘Cathal (Sweeney) Probably should have got a second goal as well if he stepped around the keeper.'
Padraic Joyce is a tough task-master. He knows a thing or two about finishing to be fair 😅pic.twitter.com/sZE6LPVsMR
— GAA JOE (@GAA__JOE) February 18, 2024
As an Mayo player of 13 years, Keegan knows all about the hair-dryer treatment from managers, but he says it was usually saved for the video analysis sessions.
“Most managers prefer to leave their detailed criticism to the weekly video sessions, where it can arrive in torrents,” wrote Keegan.
“I was a bit of a punchbag in them, mostly because I was inclined to let the whole lot wash over me anyway.”
The Westport man says he ‘hated’ Mayo’s video analysis sessions, preferring instead not to dwell on mistakes he had made in previous matches. Keegan name-checked former Mayo team-mate Ger Cafferkey as a player who placed great heed in video analysis pieces but Keegan was quite the opposite.
For that reason, he says management would often come down hard on him in these sessions, safe in the knowledge that to a thick skinned Keegan, it was like water off a duck’s back.
“Donie Buckley used to go to town on me (irrespective of how brilliant I was – just kidding), largely because he knew I could take it and it would just go over my head.
“The management would cut that into a highlights package – or it really should be called a lowlights package – for a half-hour long review session.
“That’s not very good… you shouldn’t be there… why are you standing there, doing nothing?”
“As I said, these questions were put to me more than most.”
“I was never much of a fiend for the video analysis anyway.
“I hated it, in truth.”
“I found if I became preoccupied with mistakes from previous matches, I would fall into a negative headspace. So, it was better just to park it and move on.”
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