Cora Staunton calls on Mayo Board to act now

Cora calls for Board to act now


Mayo ladies star wants new manager appointed quickly

Mike Finnerty

THE most decorated ladies footballer in Mayo has called on the Mayo Ladies GAA Board to appoint the next county senior manager before the end of the year.
Speaking during the build-up to Carnacon’s All-Ireland senior club championship final next Sunday, Cora Staunton also denied claims that she was a disruptive influence in the Mayo dressing-room last spring, and declared her intention to play for the county team again next year.
“I honestly think we’re not that far away from winning an All-Ireland with Mayo if things are done right and organised, and we start off the year properly,” she told The Mayo News.
“The players are there, we’ve shown that in Carnacon, but we just need to get everybody going in the one direction.
“We hadn’t the right set-up in the last few years,” she added. “It was too late when the manager was being appointed. Managers were being changed every year. Only one of them, our last manager, left because he said he couldn’t work with the players. Every other manager was let go by the County Board.
“All we were looking for is some consistency. We need to make ladies football attractive again and get girls out playing for Mayo. At the moment that’s not happening.
“I will be playing next year if the right structures are in place, and a manager is put in place properly,” confirmed the 28 years-old. 
“All this stuff in the last year has been hard but I still think Mayo are good enough to win the All-Ireland. When I don’t think that’s the case anymore, then I’ll step aside.”
Ironically, Staunton’s comments came in the same week that the Mayo Ladies GAA Board postponed a meeting of club delegates where an independent investigation into Mayo’s temporary withdrawal from the 2010 Connacht and All-Ireland senior championships was due to be discussed.
The Ladies Board are also advertising for a Mayo senior and junior manager in local newspapers this week.