MAYO LADIES FOOTBALL manager Peter Leahy has refuted Cora Staunton’s claims that the Mayo set-up is an unsafe environment to be in, calling her accusations “close to slanderous.”
Staunton was one of 12 players to left the Mayo panel earlier this summer. Initially, they cited “player welfare issues” as the reason for their departure.
The remaining members of the Mayo squad then released a statement to The42 saying that “no player welfare issues exist or have ever existed under the current management.”
In response to the statement, Staunton said: “The environment for us wasn’t right within the county set-up, we didn’t feel it was a safe environment to be in so we decided to leave.”
Leahy was unhappy to hear Staunton call the Mayo camp “unsafe” and “unhealthy” and defended his set-up.
“The word unsafe is the reason I’m (speaking out),” Leahy told the GAA Hour yesterday.
“The minute safety was brought into it I had to protect my management team. Safety and unhealthy was mentioned last week, enough is enough.
“There is a chartered physio at every single training session. We have live heart-rate monitoring to make sure none of the girls are over-worked.
“We had a meal after every session. We had top facilities. We had a fully qualified strength and conditioning coach. What we have a lot of senior men’s teams don’t have.
“We have a liaison officer there so if there is an unsafe situation, they have to be contacted. She has never heard a word about unsafe.
“These are close to slanderous accusations being put out there. It is not fair on my management team. If somebody wants to come out and say, Peter Leahy did X, Y, and Z, I’d welcome it. It has to be put out in the public domain at this point.”
In the wake of their Connacht final defeat to Galway, the Mayo management had one-on-one meetings with the players. Leahy says some players were unhappy with team selection and “feelings” were hurt over the feedback certain players were given.
“Some of the players weren’t happy with my selection, simple as that,” he explained.
“We only had nine players from the All-Ireland last year playing, that was a problem to a lot of them. In my opinion, it’s not a problem. It’s whoever is the best goes on the pitch on the day.
“All my selectors, including the selector who has left, have agreed on every team selection we’ve made all year. It was about selection. It was, ‘Oh my feelings are hurt.’ It was a feelings situation. I’m sorry but if we start bringing feelings into this equation, it becomes very, very muddled.”
He added that there was an attempt to remove the management and other members of the panel were encouraged to leave.
“We had girls who still remained on the panel who two or three days before we played Cavan were asked to leave, to join them. ‘Oh, if you go they won’t be able to field’, so this is the kind of stuff that was going on, which is cloak and dagger stuff, it’s not nice, it doesn’t reflect well.”
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Good luck girls tomorrow. Bronze probably the realistic target
Feel sorry for Kelly McGrory. Do all the hard work in qualifying only to be dropped for the final, cos another athlete who was more interested in personal success decides she now wants to be a team player
@WqM9AAv3: name of the game sadly
@WqM9AAv3: I’d imagine the rest of the team would get down on their knees and beg adeleke to start
@WqM9AAv3: erm, they actually want to win a medal. You pick your best available runners.
@WqM9AAv3: she wasn’t dropped. It’s a 6 person team, and you play your best cards in the final. They all do it. At least McGrory got to run. What about Lauren Cadden who didn’t get a run. Should we bring her in for the final because its the taking part that counts.
@WqM9AAv3: that’s how it rolls, she will get her medal if we do medal, if she is not subbed out, very unlikely to get a medal.
So it’s the best thing for her and the team to be subbed out
@WqM9AAv3: You are clueless. Go hibernate for another four years, and you can try and fail then to pretend you know a single thing about Athletics.
@WqM9AAv3: clown she couldn’t run semi as preparing for 400 final .
@WqM9AAv3: are you one of these lads who thinks we shouldn’t keep score in things and everyone would get the same medal after.
@WqM9AAv3: Not knockin McGrory but she was the weakest link in that semi final. Adeleke is a serous improvement for the final. Its basically the same as rotating your squad for the bigger games in soccer. Nothing wrong with it.
@WqM9AAv3: jed what planet are you living on
@WqM9AAv3: clueless
@WqM9AAv3: She probably knew that was going to happen. It’s cruel at times. But sports can be.
@WqM9AAv3: all the medalling teams, bar the 4×100 mens bronze for gb, are doing it. Very professional. Now go get Kelly her medal. Team Ireland!
@WqM9AAv3: it’s a meritocracy. You’re probably used to participation awards but at the Olympics that’s not how it works.
@WqM9AAv3: you think she should have not bothered with the individual? Hahaha wtf
@WqM9AAv3: win at all costs eh? No wonder the sport is clouded in controversy, performance enhancing narcs, men boxing women, athletes returning from doping bans to win medals (legit this time) athletes smashing their pb’s. Big big sigh
@WqM9AAv3: Men boxing women? Get the facts right before spouting nonsense. The ultimate test was done – are they capable of having a child? The answer is YES. Box away girls.
Hopefully a medal usa will win it jamaica most likely second all the other finalists will be up to get the bronze
@Square: USA and the Netherlands in that order. Bronze up for grabs.
@Ray Ridge: GB for silver, Netherlands bronze and gold to the girleens in green. US drop baton at last changeover whilst well ahead..
@Ray Ridge: stop will ya ireland will beat holland with RA in the team usa and jamaica top 2
@Ray Ridge: just saw u running there in the 10 thousand meters last
@Square: I wish I had a tan that good!
@Ray Ridge: netherlands aren’t better than gb, france and Jamaica. Americans to win and then it’s wide open.
@Ray Ridge: you tired yet over 30mins that race lol
@Kevin Dillon: im telling him that all day
@Kevin Dillon: Netherlands will medal. No doubt about it. Provided they don’t get the butter fingers. Forget about France.
@Square: You would be surprised how long I can go for baby!
@Ray Ridge: just wondering Ray are you from Portumna
@Ray Ridge: you’d expect the Dutch to medal alright but Bol has had a really tough week. She is a bit of a freak though
@Oliver Curley: Not from Portumna.
@munsterman: I think they will medal alright. Anything can happen in relays of course.
@Ray Ridge: FIND OUT 815 TOMMORRY USA JAMACIA IRELAND TOP 3
@Square: USA, Netherlands and GB.
Delighted. Girls will run a big race