JASON DOHERTY IS BACK in the Mayo team after a two-and-a-half year absence.
The Burrishule forward made his last appearance for the county in August 2019 against Donegal in the Super 8s.
Fittingly then it is Donegal he will face on Sunday in the opening round of this year’s National League. Doherty suffered a knee injury in that game – and then injured his other knee 14 months later.
He is one of six players to start Sunday’s game who did not feature in Mayo’s starting XV for last year’s All Ireland final.
Eoghan McLaughlin and Conor O’Shea return to the starting XV while Donnacha McHugh, the Castlebar Mitchells centre back, comes in for his league debut.
Lee Keegan will make his 130th appearance for Mayo in the game whereas Knockmore’s Aiden Orme will get his first league start after making four substitute appearances last season.
Aidan O’Shea, Brendan Harrison, Michael Plunkett, Bryan Walsh and Jordan Flynn have to be content with places on the bench – joined there by newcomers, Sam Callinan, Ruairi Keane, Frank Irwin and Pearse Ruttledge.
MAYO TEAM
1: Rob Hennelly
2: Lee Keegan
3: Stephen Coen
4: Padraig O’Hora
5: Paddy Durcan
6: Donnacha McHugh
7: Eoghan McLaughlin
8: Conor O’Shea
9: Conor Loftus
10: Fionn McDonagh
11: Aiden Orme
12: Diarmuid O’Connor
13: Tommy Conroy
14: Jason Doherty
15: Ryan O’Donoghue
Subs
16: Rory Byrne
17: Sam Callinan
18: Brendan Harrison
19: Michael Plunkett
20: Ruairi Keane
21: Aidan O’Shea
22: Jordan Flynn
23: Pearse Ruttledge
24: Bryan Walsh
25: Paul Towey
26: Frank Irwin