Mayo Ladies’ Championshipitis Interruptus Leaves Dead Rubber
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Ladies from Mayo have been causing bother since Granuaile first plied her trade off the coast of Mayo. Unlike Galway hookers, Granuaile’s was a ship of solid reputation that took it and gave it back to the English every way it could.
So it is in the proud tradition of fiery Mayo women, that Ladies football legend Cora Staunton has imploded with rage. The cause of her ire? The Mayo Ladies County Board have voted 26-5 to withdraw the team from the Connacht Championship clash with Sligo on 19 June, a move that means Mayo are effectively out of the Ladies Football Championship. This a competition which they have graced, and won several times, with the aforementioned Cora a multiple All Ireland medal winner and seven time All Star.
The cause of this splinter of discontent follows the resignation of long term team manager Pat Costello who stood down after the end of the National League last month, describing his position as ‘untenable’ having been ‘constantly undermined by certain players within the panel’ he says.
Cora has responded accusing the county board of “putting us back years”. She has rejected any criticisms of the players by their former manager:
“After being beaten by Cork (by 20 points) in the league, we held a players’ meeting and we compiled, on a flip chart, 15 things that needed to change? Twelve of those related to ourselves as players, just three of them related to management.”
Hold on, hold on, hold on now. . . Flipcharts? Jaysus, that Mickey Harte has a lot to answer for! She must have been reading The Book.
“We didn’t want him to go but Eamonn Ryan (Cork manager) doesn’t do everything himself. He has a big backroom team and we felt bringing in a physical trainer would allow Pat to concentrate on other aspects. We felt it was constructive feedback and that he took it very well, but when he met the panel next he stood down and we were all shocked.”
A case of greener grass. . . Cora maybe has to realise that some men get involved in coaching for different reasons: interest, vanity, money, the attention of young women, the company of young women, a hatred of young women and an overwhelming desire to chase them round a field, whatever. . . Another reason is that many coaches want to get out of the house away from the wife and her nagging. . . maybe she tells him what to do all the time and points out what he’s not doing about the house and in the bedroom.
One coach we know that would be familiar with women’s teams will tell you the only thing worse than the wife nagging is twenty or thirty young things telling you what they want. Wears you out. They only see it their way. And talking about what the Cork girls are doing. . . that’s like them all seeing a new pair of shoes, a handbag or a new dress that they all want. Never mind what poor oul Pat is doing.
We have sent a special team of mediators led by Ger Manas to sort the whole thing out. Take it from the horse’s ass, it will be sorted.
