 Keady made his senior debut on 10 February 1985 in a 1-14 to 0-10 National Hurling League defeat by Offaly.Later that summer he made his championship debut in a 4-12 to 5-5 All-Ireland semi-final defeat of Cork.Offaly provided the opposition in the subsequent All-Ireland final on 1 September 1985 and it was their goal-scoring ability that proved crucial.