Deciding to spend the summer abroad, McDonald missed the eventful 1996 season, when Mayo lost the 1996 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final against Meath in a replay. He returned in 1997 when Mayo again lost in Final, though McDonald scored a second-half penalty in the game. In 1998 Mayo were knocked out by arch-rivals Galway early in the Championship, though McDonald scored two goals in that game and famously hit the crossbar very late in the game when looking for a third goal which would have turned the game in Mayo's favour. Galway went on to win the Championship that year.