McGarrity delighted to be back

Mayo and Connacht senior footballer Ronan McGarrity is delighted to be back in action after receiving treatment for testicular cancer earlier this year which sidelined him for over three months.

McGarrity's recovery process has been a quick one and he played his part as Ballina Stephenites took Mayo SFC honours last Sunday week in Castlebar. He puts his progress down to the excellent treatment he received while in hospital in Galway.

"The people in the University College Hospital, Galway looked after me so well," McGarrity said.

"They were so nice, the nurses and staff - everybody looked after me well. The surgeon even kept it quiet, he didn't want anything to get out before I let it out. They treated me so well."

Even though McGarritty's spell on the sidelines turned out to be a short enough one, he found it difficult watching his team-mates from the sidelines.

"It was weird watching them play and then when you were getting back to playing and training with them, it was frustrating too because I wasn't at the same level as they were.

"You expect to be and it's kind of frustrating but I was very happy that I was involved and playing a small part in the championship. It wasn't as much as I would have wanted to."

He sees a bright future for the Mayo team, despite the disappointments of recent campaigns.

"It was a disappointing year but it was the same in 2004 when we played in the All-Ireland final, we then came up here and got beaten by Kerry in the All-Ireland quarter-final. That was another disappointing year.

"What Kerry are doing now, it's extremely tough and it usually takes its time to build a new team together and get everybody re-energised. It is tough going back-to-back but things are looking bright," he admitted.

"At the end of the day we have won an Under-21 All-Ireland title and we still have Ballina, who won the club (championship). There are players there and it's just about getting everything right. At the end of the day we have good management and there are no complaints there anymore so everything is right at the moment and the players just have to put in the work really."

The towering midfielder is not just a talented Gaelic footballer. His other sporting love is basketball, which he plays in his native Ballina. Having been diagnosed with cancer, McGarrity is now careful not to overburden himself and even though he still has a busy schedule, he has eased up a little and is more conscious of looking after himself.

"I'm busy as ever but I'm looking after myself a lot more. If I see a vacant day that I can take off from training and chill out, I'll do it. We had a league game on Sunday which I didn't participate in because I had a basketball match on Saturday, so I just chilled out.

"Before that I was going at 100 miles an hour and everybody knows that nobody can do that.

"I'm back on court these days, we lost by two points on Saturday night and I'm pissed off. A guy threw in the ball with about 0.2 seconds to go. Once you throw the ball in the net that's it and you can't do anything about it."

McGarrity is back in football action on Saturday week in the blue and white of Connacht for the Martin Donnelly Interprovincial semi-final against Ulster, a game which the 25-year-old is relishing.

"I'm looking forward to it and getting in and getting a few hits, getting back into playing competitive football at a high standard. It's something most players don't refuse to do. "It's very important to represent your province and to play with such great players, it's quite an honour," he added.