McDonald back in training with Mayo

Former Mayo captain Ciaran McDonald has returned to training with the county panel, with manager John O'Mahony insisting: "He'll have some input in the league campaign."

McDonald has been trying to get over a troublesome back injury - he has a bulging disc in his back - but the good news is the Crossmolina attacker has returned to light training.

He missed Sunday's Division 1A win over Kerry, which saw the westerners gain some revenge for last year's All-Ireland final defeat.

O'Mahony confirmed that McDonald is still receiving "intensive treatment" for the injury, and will be out of action for the next number of weeks but "hopefully not too long."

The former Galway boss added: "The perfect solution would be an operation but we can't afford that because he'd be out for the season so we're trying other methods. Our medical team and our backroom team are working very hard to get that right."

Mayo travel to Ballybofey next Sunday to take on Donegal, who were winners over Cork on the opening weekend. But O'Mahony may have to do so without star midfielder Ronan McGarrity who has a basketball match in Dublin the previous night.

McGarrity, who has been nursing a heel injury, is due to line out for Team Merry Monk Ballina against St Vincent's and would face a 160-mile trip, either on Saturday night or in the early hours of Sunday morning, to make the throw-in against Donegal.