"I'm losing count at this stage!" jokes Mayo captain Kathyrn Sullivan.
In the AFLW this coming season, there will be at least six footballers from Mayo: Sarah Rowe, Aileen Gilroy, Niamh and Grace Kelly, Rachel Kearns, and Cora Staunton.
"We're probably the one team in the country that are getting stung big time with the AFLW," says Sullivan.
"It's a shame that it can't work both ways, that they've changed [the season schedule]. It was a very difficult decision for the girls to make, not being able to commit. It's the right decision for them.
"I wouldn't begrudge them. There's no badness in it whatsoever. If I was given the chance 10 years ago, I would have jumped at it. It's a great opportunity.
"You look at what they did over there recently with the big pay rise. You're playing professional sport, living as a professional athlete. It's a great opportunity for any young sportsperson. It sounds like it's only going to get bigger.
"We're going to miss them big time. We have a great panel there, a lot of youth mixed with a lot of experience. It's going well. We just have to get on with it, and not dwell on these kinds of things."
'I really believe in this Mayo squad'
It's 15 years since Sullivan made her senior inter-county debut for Mayo against Galway. She took a break in 2015 and 2016, spending time in New York. An "itch" to return hit her in 2017 when Mayo reached the All-Ireland final.
Mayo's All-Ireland Championship campaign gets underway this weekend when they face Tipperary at MacHale Park.
🟩 TEAM NEWS 🟥
Michael Moyles has named the team that will start against Tipperary in Round 1 of the TG4 All Ireland Championship ⬇️
Throw in is at 2pm on Saturday in Hastings Insurance MacHale Park!
Get your tickets here: https://t.co/dOok1lXCuY#ProperFan
🟢🔴🔥🟢🔴 pic.twitter.com/3JQA8wgiDK— Mayo LGFA (@Mayo_LGFA) June 9, 2022
"I really believe in this squad," Sullivan says.
"I know it's changed with players coming in, players leaving the last number of years. I just think there's something there.
"If you have belief, anything is possible. The group of girls that are there, they are my best friends. I'm just enjoying it. I always say that I'll keep playing and playing until that stops. I still have a bit left in me for another year or two. We'll see what happens."
Can confirm LGFA players DO NOT get expenses. If I were to claim mileage the way the men do, my weekly travel expenses would be €474.50. 🤢 https://t.co/clvEyhv0mX
— Fiona McHale (@fionamchale) May 19, 2022
In mid-May, prompted by a BBC Northern Ireland podcast, Sullivan's fellow Mayo defender Fiona McHale tweeted about ladies footballers not receiving adequate expenses.
"Fair play to her," says Sullivan.
"She's always one to speak her mind. She's definitely right by saying what she did.
"Is it getting better? It definitely is getting some way better. It's still a long way out. We do a lot of carpooling. I owe a lot of people lifts!"
Sullivan hopes that the proposed merger between the GAA, LGFA, and Camogie Association will address issues like expenses.
"The ball is rolling there already," she says.
"I didn't think it would happen so quick. I thought it would be about 10 years off. I think it's going to happen sooner rather than later, which is great for ladies football."
27 February 2022; Darina Keane of Galway in action against Kathryn Sullivan of Mayo during the Lidl Ladies Football National League Division 1 match between Galway and Mayo at Tuam Stadium in Galway. Photo by Ben McShane/Sportsfile
Last month, Louise Ní Mhuircheartaigh voiced her annoyance about the Kingdom's women's team not having access to Kerry GAA's Centre of Excellence in Currans.
"For us, in Mayo, we're well looked after," says Sullivan.
"It's difficult for teams at this time of year to get pitches. I saw something down there in Kerry, and I couldn't understand it. That's disappointing to see. If it's happening down in Kerry, it's probably happening in other places.
"It just shouldn't be happening in this day and age. The way ladies football has gone, it's just as good a sport as GAA. It should be all level with regards training pitches and all that.
"We train in the Centre of Excellence in Bekan. At the start of the year, when it was winter weather, we had access to the dome, which was great. Our manager, Michael, he never gets off the phone. He always has everything scheduled to a T for us."
Featured image credits: Sportsfile
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