Injury News: Harte doubtful for League final

Tyrone forward Peter Harte is likely to miss the Allianz League final against Dublin on April 28 after damaging his hamstring in Sunday's semi-final win over Kildare.

Harte lasted just 19 minutes of the game at Croke Park, before being forced off with a hamstring problem, which manager Mickey Harte has described as 'very worrying'.

"We probably won't know the full extent of it until the physios get to work on it this week," said Harte. "But it makes him very, very doubtful for the the final which is a huge loss."

On a more positive note, Harte said the groin strain that forced Joe McMahon to sit out the 2-15 to 2-11 win was not serious and he should be back in time to face the Dubs. McMahon was named to start the game at wing-forward but Ronan McNamee was drafted in as a late replacement for the two-time All-Ireland winner.

Meanwhile, Kildare veteran Dermot Earley will struggle to be fit for the Lilywhites' Leinster Championship opener against Offaly on June 1 after undergoing surgery on a back problem last week, according to his manager Kieran McGeeney.

Earley, who was on the verge of a return to full fitness after battling his way back from three serious knee operations in recent seasons, suffered a back spasm in the warm-up before the Allianz League game against Dublin in Croke Park last month.

"Dermot's under a lot of pressure," McGeeney is quoted as saying by the Irish Examiner. "He had an operation last week and it remains to be seen if it's successful.

"Dermot's in a lot of trouble, at the minute. His thoughts are probably to do more with walking again. He's struggling with a lot of pain.

"He needs time to recuperate. He's in a lot of pain but we're hoping that the operation last week will help him. Over the years, he'd have had a lot of wear and tear on his discs. His main priority at the minute is just to have no pain."

Mayo manager James Horan says former captain Andy Moran is not expected to have completed his rehabilitation from cruciate knee surgery in time to face Galway in the Connacht Championship on May 19.

"Andy Moran's quite a bit away yet so he needs to really go away and work hard on what he needs to do because when we get everyone back, it's going to be hard to make that team," Horan said.

"So Andy needs to ensure he works and does it away from the lights, which is what he's doing, so we'll keep monitoring his progress and see how he progresses."