Leahy proud of Mayo but walkout row rumbles on
AFTER his Mayo team did their talking on the pitch on Saturday, Peter Leahy broke his silence on the controversial player walkout in the build-up to their TG4 ladies All-Ireland football championship game against Cavan on Saturday.
Leahy’s team overcame the Ulster side 3-23 to 4-13 in their Group 4 game and the Westmeath man attempted to draw a line under the departure of 12 players from his squad last week, saying it cost them “emotional energy” during their preparations.
The players left the panel citing “player welfare issues”, but Leahy and his squad received the unequivocal backing of the Mayo ladies executive.
“Firstly, it’s correct that 12 girls who were on the panel have left, but it is incorrect to state that they have all left for the same apparent reasons,” said Leahy, who was without captain Sarah Tierney, vice-captain Fiona McHale and Cora Staunton, along with two team selectors, following the walkout.
It continued: “We will go through the timeline and the facts of how we as management heard of the players’ departure.
“On Thursday, July 5th, roughly one hour before our training in the COE in Bekan and 10 days from our All-Ireland series Championship match, I received a call from a particular club secretary. I was informed by the said person that all eight members of that club were withdrawing from the county panel on the grounds of player welfare.
“I immediately informed the County Board chairperson, who in turn set the appropriate process in place. I then informed the remaining members of the panel of this club’s decision and we went on to have a full session with the remaining panel that night.
“Over the next five days, four more members of the panel removed themselves from the county panel.
“Three of these four wrote messages to our Liaison Officer stating purely personal reasons for leaving the panel and not the reasons quoted by the previous eight.
“The other member who has removed herself from the county panel has not given any communication to any member of the county management to date.
“As previously stated in the Mayo LGFA County Executive statement they are continuing to give all the appropriate help to all parties involved and will continue with the process set in place.
CHOOSE
“As manager, I want to clearly state that at no stage has any player ever been asked to leave the panel and I respect every player’s right to choose to be involved at county level or to leave the panel.
“We are very proud of the girls who took to the field today and how they have handled themselves over the last few days.”
Concerning matters on the field, Mayo laid down a stunning 60 minutes of attacking football where all but one point of their 3-23 came from open play.
“To score 3-22 in a championship match from play, six different scorers,” added Leay after the match.
“I don’t think there is many times you’ll say that in a Championship match, especially with the emotional energy that was used all week. I think we let the players do the talking today.
“Our training on Tuesday and Thursday this week was just out of this world. I said if we could bring that into the game today... and that’s what we talked about, we never talked about anything else, only perform like we are performing and everything takes care of itself. They all believe in themselves.”
Mayo handed eight Championship debuts to players in Clones, but it was the combined 3-18 from the full-forward line of Niamh Kelly, Sarah Rowe and Grace Kelly that gave them the Group 4 win.
Cavan – who face Dublin next Saturday – made the most of Mayo’s all-out attack and hit goals from Donna English, Aisling Maguire, Catherine Dolan and Aisling Sheridan, but they fell well short in this loss.