Cora Staunton believes the Mayo hurlers have every right to feel aggrieved about being unable to play their upcoming Christy Ring Cup games at Hastings Insurance MacHale Park.
Derek Walsh's team take on Sligo in the fourth round of the competition this Saturday. If they win, and then beat Derry a week later, they will be into the final.
There is, however, deep frustration over the county board's refusal to allow the side to play those games at the newly resurfaced MacHale Park. They will instead head to James Stephens Park in Ballina.
The Mayo GAA board says they are simply following recommendations in relation to protecting the surface.
Staunton insisted the hurlers should be accommodated.
"If you've played ladies football at any stage you can certainly empathise with them," she said at the launch of the Bord Gáis Energy GAA Legends Tour Series.
"Unfortunately, in my time with Mayo, that was probably a very common theme, especially from the point of view of being able to train at MacHale Park.
"We obviously did play there, the Connacht final was there on a number of occasions. But yeah it’s very disappointing in this day and age where we’re talking about equality - whether it’s in women’s sport or within the GAA right across (the board). It’s disappointing that if you’re a county hurler in Mayo and you’re training for eight, nine, 10 months that you can’t play in your home ground.
"Then you hear on the back of it that the Mayo men’s footballers were training there. That’s disappointing - especially after the redevelopment of the pitch. It’s not as if we've had particularly bad weather the last while.
"My opinion is, whether you are a hurler, a footballer, a ladies footballer or camogie player, your home ground is your home ground and everyone should have equal access to it. You’d hope by Saturday the Mayo hurlers are playing in MacHale Park."
"I'll make the decision when the time is right."
Staunton is back playing Gaelic football with club Carnacon after another highly successful AFLW season with Greater Western Sydney Giants.
The 40-year-old is currently weighing up whether or not to return to Australia for another campaign.
This year things are set to kick off earlier Down Under - on an as yet unspecified date in August rather than next January - so the clock is ticking, but the veteran insists she'll take all the time she needs.
"My Australian phone is sitting by my bedside locker and I've quite a lot of missed calls and messages!
"They know how bad I am for not getting back to them. I’m probably under a bit of pressure to make a decision alright but I’m very much one that likes to take a bit of time and try to make a correct decision.
"If I go back out, I need to know that I’m both physically and mentally fully able for it. It’s not a thing where you just turn up. It’s probably made a little bit easier that this season... it’s an earlier start. The season normally doesn’t start till next January. It’s starting up in August this year.
"I’ll make the decision when the time is right. I’ll play club football for the next while. If the body and mind is right and I feel I can go and do better than last season, we’ll make a decision based on that."
Reflecting on whether the AFLW's calendar shift could make it harder for Gaelic football players here to take the plunge and head for Australia, Staunton said: "I think that the numbers will rise this year. I reckon we'll have 20-plus, from what I'm hearing, that will be over playing AFLW.
"The AFLPA (AFL Players Association), which is like the GPA, are saying that by 2026 - which is in only four years' time - the game will be fully professional. It will be a full-time contract.
"Even now, the contracts for this season coming up are yearly contracts. They are going to be 12 months, even though you won't be playing 12 months of the year. Eighteen teams are going to be in the competition for the first time.
"There's probably more and more money in the competition now with it going to a full season in the next couple of years.
"I'm sure there are some girls who won't go because of county, and then there are girls who will go because of the opportunity to be a full-time professional.
"From what I'm hearing, there is certainly a lot of interest with girls wanting to come out.
"It's a big decision for Vikki Wall (the 23-year-old Meath star who looks likely to go to the AFLW this summer). If I had to make the decision when I was Vicki’s age, and Mayo were in the height of winning All-Irelands, I know my decision would have been to stay with Mayo.
"I was just lucky my opportunity came at the end of my career and I’d achieved everything with Mayo. But it’s a huge opportunity for Vikki. She’s only a young woman. She could have eight to ten years playing AFLW and getting very well paid for it.
"Whether (Meath manager) Eamonn Murray gives Vikki his backing or not, it doesn’t really matter. She’s the one that has to make the decision and do what’s right for her."
At GWS Giants' end-of-season ceremony, Staunton picked up perhaps the most poignant honour of her distinguished career when she claimed the the Jacinda Barclay Fearless Award, named after the former Giants star who died in 2020.
"Cinda was a very good friend of mine, one of the people at the club that when I first came there and found things tough in the early days when I went over not knowing anyone, being the only Irish person and standing out like a sore thumb, she was the type of person that embraced everyone in the club," Staunon added.
"Cinda was one who always pulled together the ones that were a little but different to the rest. When she passed, the club came up with this idea of having her award. Any award that’s voted by your peers is a massive one to win.
"We call it the Fearless award because of the type of player she was. To win it was special. The most important thing is that we keep remembering her within the club, that her memory will live on for years to come no matter who’s there or not there."
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