By this time Keogh had established himself as the outstanding half-back in New Zealand, and he was approached by Joe Warbrick to tour with the Native team in mid-1888.

Keogh was a controversial figure in the sport; he was accused of "playing stiff" in a match against Queensland but the allegations were dismissed, however in 1891 he was banned from rugby due to a separate incident where he was found to have gambled at the game.

[8] It was rumoured that Keogh, who had missed Otago's first match against the British due to injury, had watched through a hole in a fence in order to devise strategies for when he could play them.

[11] Warbrick's original intention was that the team consist of only Māori players, however he was forced to include several non-Māori in order to strengthen the side.

Keogh was the last "pākehā" player recruited by Warbrick even though he wasn't actually a New Zealand native; he was born in England, but his dark complexion contributed to him being selected for the side.

[25] They arrived in early October 1888,[26] and by late November the team was regularly fielding injured players due to the high rate of injuries.

[28][29] Along with Charles Madigan, Keogh withdrew from playing Manchester on 11 March after tour manager James Scott refused to lend them money.

[30] It is unlikely that the players, including Keogh, would have had much recourse over disputes with the tour organisers; they would struggle to access the funds to necessary for passage back to New Zealand without them.

The Otago Rugby Football Union (ORFU) was particularly concerned about the allegations, and eventually held an inquiry of their own when the team arrived in Dunedin.

[15] According to historian Greg Ryan, Keogh was "unanimously regarded as the best back in the colony" and also "one of the most gifted, colourful and ultimately controversial figures of early New Zealand rugby.

"[37] A correspondent for Christchurch paper The Sun,[b] lamenting a perceived decline in back play, wrote in 1917 that Keogh "was probably the greatest half-back the rugby world has ever produced.