Has it been a shot across the bows to remove Carnacon from the Mayo Club Championship or will the team kick their heels while others chase the All Ireland Ladies Football title they won in 2017?
The club was put centre stage earlier this summer when twelve players left the Mayo inter-county side on the eve of the Championship.
This was a side who had finished runners-up to Dublin in last year’s TG4 All Ireland Final and again this spring in the Lidl National League Final.
They said at the time, in a statement through the Women’s Gaelic Players Association, that they were leaving the panel for personal reasons but these were never expanded upon.
The group included all the members of the Carnacon team as well as selector Michael McHale and team captain Sarah Tierney. Mayo were heavily beaten by Galway in the Championship Quarter Finals last weekend.
A meeting of the County Board on Monday night voted 26-2 to expel the club from this year’s County Championship under Rule 288 of the Ladies Gaelic Football Association. This covers bringing the game into disrepute and has been leveled against the club on the basis that it was they, rather than the individuals who withdrew.
Word last night from Mayo was that an appeal would be lodged within the five-day window open to them. Whether there is then a technical way in which this can be seen as a slap on the wrist but the team is allowed defend their County, Provincial and All Ireland titles remains to be seen.
The Ladies Gaelic Football Association did not make any comment when asked yesterday, saying that this was a matter for the County Board and the Club.
Sign up today for our free daily news digest covering the commercial world of sport or discover the benefits of becoming a full member alongside the many leading organisations whom we serve.
Image Credit: Sportsfile
