Last week, Cora Staunton's football club Carnacon were in the spotlight after being ejected from the Mayo Senior Ladies football championship.
Staunton has won four All Ireland titles with Mayo as well as five All Irelands at club level with Carnacon.
However, last week, the county board decided to expel the reigning Mayo ladies’ champions from being able to defend their Mayo, Connacht and All Ireland ladies club championships, following the withdrawal of eight of their players in July over “player welfare issues.”
Carnacon appealed that decision to the Connacht LGFA and are awaiting the final decision.
Meanwhile, Staunton was speaking on stage at our All Ireland Football Final Special taking place at Croke Park in association with BoyleSports.
She did not hold back in her views of the Carnacon situation as she and her club-mates wait to see if they will be able to continue playing in this year's Championships.
There’s @duckie15 talking Carnacon and the shock they felt as a small, rural club to be thrown out of the Mayo club championship. @offtheball #OTBCROKEPARK pic.twitter.com/7pDuZIVCTO
— MaireT (@MaireTNC) August 30, 2018
"Nine days ago because of us leaving, Mayo decided to expel Carnacon from this year's league and championship," she said.
"At the moment, we don't have any club football at the moment. The club has appealed the decision and the decision is being held by Connacht Council tonight."
Staunton continued: "I’ve probably looked at the rule book more in the last seven or eight days. Some of the rules that are in the rule book, I wonder why they’re even allowed in the rule book.
"As far as I was aware when I started playing football for Mayo, I do it because it’s my choice. And if I want to leave at any stage, I can leave. I really don’t know how we brought the game into disrepute.
"As a club, we were obviously in shock last Tuesday night when we heard and we were very disappointed."
She also feels that the dominance of Carnacon on the Mayo scene over the last two decade - they're aiming for title No 20 from the last 21 years this campaign - means they are not popular with their rivals.
"We’re a small rural club that’s probably been punching above our weight for the last two decades and maybe that’s why we’re being punished," she said.
"I don’t know the workings of county board meetings. There were 24 votes against us.
"The disappointing thing for us - I suppose, over the last nine days, Carnacon has been everywhere. We probably haven’t been as popular on social media and media for everything we’ve won but now when our name has been blackened because of a dispute with the county board, it’s very difficult. It’s not for the right reasons. We’ve young girls in the club on our senior team as young as 14 years of age. They don’t know what’s happening. All we want to do is go out and play football.
"The right story will eventually come out. You know, I think we’ve been very dignified over the last number of months.
"It’s disappointing for the club but we’re hoping to be back in Championship, we’re training away, we’ve no doubt we’ll be back in it."
