Like the rest of you, I’ve been keeping a close eye on the news today, with the Mayo News reporting that Keith Higgins was due to have an MRI scan on his knee this morning. Well, he did and Midwest are first out of the blocks with the extremely welcome news that he hasn’t damaged his cruciate. Quoting Johnno, Midwest say that Keith sustained a sprain of the medial ligament and while this is likely to mean that he won’t be back for the Cork match on April 11th, he should be back in action soon after. He could even be in contention for a place on the team in the league final, should we make it that far.
So, although the day began with the return of winter (there was snow in these parts for most of the morning and it’s still snowing in a half-hearted kind of way now), all of a sudden it has turned into a bright and cheerful afternoon.
Thank God for that. He’ll be missed for the Cork game if he’s not fit in time. When I saw him go down, and the stretcher come on, it seemed like it was a very serious injury. It’s only a sprain so nothing much to be too worried about.
This is my first post on this Blog, and Willie Joe-what a fantastic facility you have provided here for many’s the Mayo fan! I check this instead of RTE, Hoganstand etc. because the info, reports and everything you post is excellent and far superior to the ‘opinions’ provided on those sites! Fair play to ya Willie Joe!
Hi Esther – thanks for the kind words and welcome aboard! It’s great news about Keith, alright: it would have been a big blow to lose him for the rest of the year.
Great news! Really is.
Keith has his doubters alright, but for me he’s the best we have in the backs by a long way.
I would of genuinely feared for us if he was out for the season.
That’s brilliant news! It really is. Makes a couple of headaches go away for Johnno I’m sure.
As a townie of Keiths and seeing him reared from a small boyI can tell u how special Keith is. If he was injured it would have been a huge blow. He gets all the shitty marking jobs and is probably our answer to a centre back but we need him in the full back line. He is also a hell of a nice lad and a credit to his family.(even if his Dad is a heron choker)!
Great news, who doubts keith, dan? i think at this stage keith higgins is recognised as on of the best defenders in the business, whether corner or wing back, how often will a forward get more than 1 or 2 points off keith? no very in my opinion
Great news, now if we can just keep him away from that feckin hurling for the rest of the year.. 😉
Great news-delighted for the lad
This is a real boost. He is starting to become a really top class defender and is starting to play with a real swagger. Delighted!
Just had a look through your archives wj and seen they go back to 1949.. incredible stuff wj.. I just had a look at the stats of the last 10 years and id advise people on here to have a look. I do have a soft spot for ‘the mort’ but looking at the stats i cannot believe we ever dropped him, his scoring rate is incredible.. He rarely goes a game without scoring 3+ points.. I thought when johnno dropped him it was stupid but i know it was.I thought i would watch him a bit closer on sunday and thought ‘the mort’ of old is done… through a lack of confidence in my opinion.. the forward that used to destroy defenders with pace is gone, i see you did not think much of his performance on sunday, i agree wj, instead of taking players on, he was standing them up looking to fist pass when you know more could be done, i have a real gripe with mayo supporters in not nurturing talent, i feel if we had him and aos and killer or barry moran brimming with confidence, is there any county in ireland that would want to face that?..
Im pretty sure Morts afterburners are still a little clogged up after OZ. i reckon the break will have done him good and we’ll see the best of him come summer time. Im not sure if Varley has done enough to keep him out either. Dont get me wrong Varley has done fine but still think Mort will get the nod when the jerseys are being handed out for the championship
WJ, delighted to hear about Keith, he’s essential for championship.
Also, did anyone see an interview with C Mort over the weekend, heard the tail end of a comment about it on Marion F on Sunday but missed what paper it’s in or who did the interview?? Reported to be very funny, Mort saying no more nonsense like the Michéal Jackson stuff etc. Appreciate if anyone can tell me where it is. Thx.
I’ve only skimmed through it myself, SS, but here it is if you want some lunch-time reading.
I was actually pretty impressed with Conor’s play in the Monaghan match. OK, he wasn’t making an impact on the scoreboard like he did against Kerry, but he was looking for his teammates when he had the ball and tackling when Monaghan had it (this second one is tremendously important for me). I’m afraid I’ve been one of the many to criticise him in the past but generally this has been for recklessly going on his own when there were other options available (and for not getting involved in the dirty work – defending etc.). In this match he looked more like he was part of a team rather than going on his own, and I certainly welcome that. I wondered whether it was just fresh legs after his holiday but the interview appears to show a change in his philosophy.
Also, delighted to hear Keith’s fairly alright. We’re building into a pretty good team, it seems. Worth keeping an eye on.
I think that’s true, Chris, and I suppose I unfairly lumped him in with Trevor (who performed pretty poorly overall) as regards how he did the last day. He provided one absolutely sublime pass to Mark Ronaldson late in the first half which put Mark in the clear for a point and the disallowed ‘goal’ in the second half would have been a real collector’s item had Aidan O’Shea not been pulled for the foul handpass to him.
Mort article a good read , would love to know the craic behind the whacko jacko tribute though..
Did not know that he doesn’t drink , fair play to him..
Excellent article, and shows he has his head screwed on the right way which is what we need in the team-stability. I’m very impressed with his answers, his focus is totally on the team, and it’s evident he has learned a lot from O’Mahony which can only be a good thing. I admire him for not drinking, like ya say Roger, fair play to him!
Enda Varley limped off with a hamstring injury on Saturday, and Ronan Mc Garrity also went off injured playing for ballina
Higgins admittatly is a good player and as a person is a credit. He is not a man marker though and Johnno has been shunting him on to roles that don’t suit him ie the corner. He is a top class half back but he has been skinned in the corner a few times by bigger and stronger forwards. The Orangeman Brolly made the point some while back, that for one of the so called best backs in the game he has been done time again by the bigger man and I would have to agree with that. He is a top class half back not a rugged man marking corner back! If we discover a a full back line and leave Keith where he deserves to be then Brolly will eat his word!
Austyisgod I agree – Keith was skinned against Bernard Brogan in 2006. I have no doubt opposing managers would be well aware of that and would naturally try to target him with a big strong forward. However, I think he has improved a lot in the meantime and is a different prospect now.
But I worry that he and the rest of the backline lack the ‘ugly’ factor (a la Ricey) that can have a significant impact on classy opponents and make them look very ordinary. I mean when you are worried about whether your VHI is paid up to date you are less likely to go on dazzling runs through the backline. Not that I am advocating dirty play or the likes but if an opponent wins a free he should certainly earn it (and not be over inclined to reinvest in that venture again!)