Higgins always made an impact, even in defeat
THERE was something stubbornly, wonderfully Mayo about the fact that perhaps the finest performance by Keith Higgins in the colours of his county came in a defeat in which his man scored 2-6.
As usual with this team, the one to which Higgins was such a vital component for more than a dozen seasons, there was more to it than the headlines suggested.
The date was August 30, 2014. The location was the Gaelic Grounds in Limerick, and the contest pitted Mayo against Kerry in an All-Ireland semi-final replay.
The drawn game had been a rollicking contest. The replay was, simply, an epic, for many there that warm night the best they have ever seen.
James O’Donoghue was Kerry’s attacking marvel, and in that part of his career when he seemed the answer to many of their problems.
Higgins was already among the pre-eminent defenders of the age; he would finish 2014 with his third AllStar in a row.
That night, the two played out a consuming duel.
O’Donoghue tallied a huge score, but his two goals were penalties and two of his six points were frees.
Had he simply given Higgins a roasting then there would have been no enduring memory. Instead, the two competed brilliantly over the course of an astonishing evening.
And in some ways it was a classic Keith Higgins display: brave, aggressive, risky and unchecked by any setbacks.
Of the players that sum up this tireless generation of Mayo footballers, three stand out: Colm Boyle, Lee Keegan and Higgins.
His retirement was announced yesterday, and it came as no surprise but still generated an enormous response.
Of the half-dozen Mayo players that have retired since the county lost the All-Ireland final last month, he was, alongside David Clarke, the most cherished.
Higgins’ senior inter-county football career spanned 16 seasons.
He won an All-Ireland Under-21 title in 2006, the same year he played corner-back on a senior team that was vaporised by Kerry in the final.
That would not be the end of his disappointment on final day, but he would never again be a part of a Mayo side humiliated on the biggest day of the year.
And the bite and determination that became features of the county under James Horan were provided in large part by ambitious young players like Higgins.
He won four All-Stars in total, he was young footballer of the year in 2006 and he played in six senior finals, including replays.
Horan experimented with him in the half-forward line in 2013. This spoke to his expansive skills but also the fearsome pace alluded to in the nickname, Zippy.
He was one of the veterans that struggled for a place in the team last season, and did not make the panel for the final defeat to Dublin.
It is expected that Higgins will continue to wear the county colours, though: the Ballyhaunis player is a talented hurler, too, and a Railway Cup winner in hurling and football.
‘The time has come to step away,’ he wrote on Twitter. ‘It’s been an unbelievable journey and an absolute privilege. Thank you.’
In a brief statement, the chairman of Mayo GAA, Liam Moffatt, paid this tribute.
‘Mayo GAA would like to sincerely thank Keith for his immense contribution and commitment to Mayo
GAA throughout his distinguished playing career. We wish Keith all the best in 2021 and beyond.’