RTE Sport state that AFL footballer Sarah Rowe is facing a tough call on her AFL future. She says she will have to think and may a tough call on her AFL future. A return to the AFL with Collingwood would mean little hope of lining out for Mayo in 2021.
Rowe has had a spectacular two season thus far in the AFL. She has come back to Ireland though the past two seasons to feature for Mayo in the championship. She was named AFLW Irish Player of the Year in April. RTE report that under normal circumstances Rowe would come home in the Spring to train with Mayo but the Covid 19 pandemic has put a halt to this meaning Mayo will likely now be playing in the winter months, when Collingwood incidentally begin their pre-season training for 2020 campaign.
Mayo manager Peter Leahy has sent out a warning that he will no longer pick player who combine inter-county football and Australian rules. Speaking to Midwest Radio, Leahy said,”We’ve made a decision that anyone who wants to go to Australia or whatever, we’d have to omit from the panel and carry on regardless because [it’s] what’s best for Mayo”. “There’s no other sport that I know of that you can play both in the same season. The demands of inter-county football is so high.”
Speaking to RTE Sport, Rowe is still uncertain what to do. She said, “The signing date for AFL is between 1 and 17 August so I have a bit of time yet. I don’t even know if they’re allowed to have conversations yet with people because everything is so unforeseen”. She continued, “It’s very up in the air as to what the future holds. For me at the moment, I’m just focusing on my club… then I’ll focus on Mayo, and then I’ll turn my sights to whatever the future holds for me but at the moment it’s all very uncertain”. “Peter has to do what he thinks is best for Mayo and what’s best for Mayo is best for me. It just means it is now more of a decision going forward.
However, Rowe is loving been back home with her club Kilmoremoy. She told RTE Sport,You really miss that side of things,” she said. “You can train as much as you want on your own but it’s never the same as the way you train when you’re with a group of people. You’re pushed that bit harder as well. She continued, “To be back with your club is a lovely thing to do as well. “It’s very refreshing because normally you’re coming in off the back of an inter-county season, you haven’t really been there as such but now you’re with them group of players, starting with them from the start of the season, you can build that good team culture”.
