Lee Keegan pens heartbreaking open letter to Mayo fans

Class. Pure class.

Lee Keegan is Mayo to the very core. He plays with passion and drive and he wears his heart on his sleeve for the whole world to see. That heart pumps green and red blood. The half back has earned his Footballer of the Year nomination, the 2016 All-Star nominations confirming the news on Thursday morning. In the company of Brian Fenton and Ciaran Kilkenny, the Westport native could bloody well win and no-one would raise an eyebrow. https://twitter.com/SportsJOEdotie/status/778623605999558656 When his county reached Croke Park, he came into his own. Sean Cavanagh, Michael Quinlivan, and Diarmuid Connolly were all gobbled up by his uncompromising defensive power. Those three lads had super years themselves, they all deserved their All-Star nominations too but they were given the life of a dog when Keegan got a sniff of them. And he wasn't going to accept another glorious failure in the replay on October 1, his goal will be remembered forever. But a black card, a premature ending to his game, and Keegan - Mayo's go-to man - was forced to watch on from the sidelines as the county he loves so well were condemned to another heartbreaking defeat. He couldn't even help. "Sadness and regret" were the first two words the legend could muster but his letter to Mayo fans is pure class. Pure love. Fair play. He'll be back. Mayo will be back. https://twitter.com/leeroykeegan/status/784044843752448000

The GAA Hour pays tribute to the unbeatable Dubs and ask where did it all go wrong for Mayo in the All-Ireland final replay. Listen below or subscribe on iTunes.