Mayo ladies football manager Peter Leahy says his team selections - and nothing else - were behind twelve players walking out of the panel in July.

Player welfare issues were cited as the reason for the contentious exodus at the time and one of those who departed, Cora Staunton, poured more fuel on the fire last week when telling Off The Ball that they did not feel it was a safe environment to be in.

Leahy has responded, stating that the departing players were simply not happy with who was being chosen to play and that some of the accusations levelled at him and his management team are “close to slanderous”:

“Some of the players weren’t happy with my selection, simple as that,” he told The GAA Hour. “We only had nine players from the All-Ireland last year playing, that was a problem to a lot of them. In my opinion, it’s not a problem. It’s whoever is the best goes on the pitch on the day.

“All my selectors, including the selector who has left, have agreed on every team selection we’ve made all year. It was about selection. It was, ‘oh my feelings are hurt’. It was a feelings situation. For this to come out as a welfare issue, and unsafe … this puts everything into question.”

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