“I didn’t like his comments” – Cora Staunton hits out at Eamonn Murray’s AFLW remarks

"I'd like to see how much AFL he has watched to make those comments."

When the news broke that Vikki Wall may be going to Australia to play in the AFL, the Meath manager was not one bit happy. Eamonn Murray came out in a pretty frank interview, stating that Aussie rules is a "dreadful" sport to watch, and one with "no skill at all" was his dig at Sinead Goldrick and Lauren Magee. The All-Ireland winning manager also suggested that "If any of you check, the players coming back [from AFLW], the Sinead Goldricks or the Lauren Magees or any of them, they don’t exactly set the world on fire when they come back over here." Mayo legend and current AFLW star, Cora Staunton was disappointed in these remarks, especially the dig at Goldrick and Magee.

Cora Staunton disagrees with Eamon Murray's stance on AFLW.

"I'd like to see how much AFL he has watched to make those comments," Staunton said on Wednesday

"It's not for everyone. All I can say is that I love the sport, I love watching it - whether it is male or female. You have to learn the intricacies of the game.

"I didn't like his comments when he was commenting about individual players in Sinead Goldrick and Lauren Magee. Especially, Sinead. "She's been a huge ambassador for Dublin, and ladies football over a decade-and-a-half, and has been one of the best ladies footballers in my generation.

Staunton explains how AFLW is one of the only ways a female Irish sports person can play at a professional level.

"She's a superstar out there. She probably doesn't get the recognition over here from her performances [in Australia]; if anyone watched the Grand Final she was involved with a few weeks ago [with Melbourne], she was probably the best player on the pitch. "If Melbourne, had won the Grand Final, I have no doubt she’d have been voted Best on Ground - she was amazing. She's had an amazing couple of years out there. She's going to have a brilliant season with Dublin. It was probably a little bit harsh on them.

"He's probably a little bit annoyed, and if you're going to lose the likes of Vikki Wall, and there has been talks about Emma Duggan and other girls as well. These are the top players that are potentially going to win you an All-Ireland.

"It's a huge opportunity for girls to go out. Their full time job will be as a professional sportsperson. As a young woman growing up, you don't get those opportunities in Ireland. "The only chance to be involved in a professional team sport in Ireland is probably rugby sevens at the moment."