Interview
Colin McDonagh
WHEN the history of ladies football in Mayo is written and stored away in the archives, one name will forever be remembered: Cora Staunton.
Her scoring prowess, the records that she has broken and the long list of personal accolades she has collected means that this iconic figure will live long in the memories of anyone who had the honour of watching her play.
Known simply as Cora, the country’s greatest ever ladies footballer has achieved everything there is to win in the game. Her scintillating skills and creative guile have terrorised defences the length and breadth of the country at club and county levels for years. And the bad news for teams chasing success this year is that Cora is as keen and as eager as she has ever been.
And as she prepares for her 17th championship campaign – a truly remarkable record by any standard – her sights are now firmly set on Sunday’s battle with old rivals Galway in McHale Park.
Mayo will be seen as strong favourites for the clash having defeated next weekend’s opponents in the Division 2 decider last month. But Cora knows that Galway will provide a stern test once more.
“It will be a tough game on Sunday for sure, and we will have to be at our best if we want to come out on top,” she told The Mayo News. “They have had a change of management recently and it’s hard to know what they will be like. Experience will be key on the day and traditionally these games are always tight.
“But we’ll worry about our own game. The competition is great and the younger players are pushing the older players, so it makes for a good mix. I certainly wouldn’t like to be picking the team. The game will be very different from the League final last May. They will have huge motivation to beat us and we must be on our toes on the day.”
Staunton’s appetite for success is clear to see. She still dreams of winning her fifth All-Ireland title but Sunday’s game is crucial.
“The game on Sunday is of vital importance, and we’re not looking past that game. We’re taking each game as it comes, and we’re going to keep going for as long as we can. We’ll just keep plugging away and worry about our own game.”
In terms of motivation one thing keeps her going. Winning.
“It’s hard every year to get your mind right. Carnacon are nearly always involved in the championship in November and December. Then you’re back with the county set-up straight away, and as you get older, the body takes time to recover. But I wouldn’t be playing football if I didn’t believe we could win another All-Ireland.
“It’s getting more and more difficult every year but I’m still very eager to win more medals with Mayo and Carnacon. But there will come a time when I’ll have to think about hanging up the boots. That’s why it’s so important to keep blending in the young players into the squad.”
With Staunton still eager for success, the sky is the limit for what this Mayo team can achieve this year. With the under-14 and minor teams doing well, the future looks bright for Mayo ladies football. But will there be another Cora Staunton? We’ll have to wait and see.
Fixture Connacht Ladies SFC Final
Mayo v Galway
Sunday, July 8
Castlebar at 4pm
