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Ex-Bomber set to return, nominates club of choice
Conor McKenna has nominated Brisbane as his preferred new home
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With Irish speedster Conor McKenna in a hurry to add an AFL premiership to his All-Ireland Gaelic football title, joining the Brisbane Lions was a no-brainer.
McKenna, 26, has returned to Australia to rekindle an AFL career that started with Essendon in 2015 before being shelved when he returned to Ireland at the end of the 2020 season.
McKenna initially had no intention of coming back to Australia but after winning the All-Ireland championship with Tyrone, had a change of heart.
“I was happy at home, to be honest, and playing Gaelic football again,” McKenna said.
“I was lucky enough to win the All-Ireland ... so after I won that it made it easy to decide to come back.
“Talking to a few people from here (Brisbane) got the ball rolling.”
McKenna was also in talks with other AFL clubs but from his options, he believed the Lions offered him the best chance of achieving his sporting goals.
“Out of the clubs I was talking to, they were probably the club closest to going on to win a premiership,” he said.
“That’s my goal now. I played for Essendon for six years ... but I want to be competing deep into the finals.”
Half-back McKenna has targeted selection in Brisbane’s side for the round one clash against Port Adelaide on March 18.
“Obviously I want to break into the team. If not, just put pressure on the other half-backs, and make sure they’re performing every week,” he said.
THE ALARM blasts just after 3.30am every other Wednesday, but it isn't one Conor McKenna dreads. Within half an hour, the Irishman is tucked inside the Heathcote Racing Stables at Eagle Farm Racecourse, ready for trackwork at a time when Brisbane is still under the doona, hours away from its first coffee of the day.
McKenna is back in Australia and back in the AFL, adjusting to a fresh start while settling into an old role at half-back, where he played 79 games across six seasons for Essendon before walking away from the game amid the coronavirus pandemic in 2020.
After making the decision to uproot his life for a second time in the second half of last year, McKenna toured St Kilda, Essendon, Port Adelaide and Brisbane in November – and attracted late interest from three other clubs – before choosing to join the Lions on a one-year rookie deal via the pre-season supplemental selection period.
The 27-year-old has played the first eight games of 2023 for Chris Fagan's side, quickly proving he can still play at the level and play a role in a side that is hunting its first premiership since 2003.
But it isn't just about football this time around. The Lions have tapped their network to help provide McKenna with something fulfilling during his time away from the club, something that has made him feel at home, a long way from home.
"I went back and started training horses when I went home. That is another passion of mine, so I went back and bought a couple of horses and started training them. That made me realise how much I love it," McKenna told AFL.com.au in the rooms after the 26-point win over Carlton on Friday night.
"I've started working with horses in Brisbane with a trainer called Robert Heathcote a couple of times a month. Just learning off him – which I love – is something I want to build on in three or four years, whenever I go home and start training horses.
"My grandad trained horses, my dad trained horses and I rode horses my whole life. I got back into riding horses when I was home. I put it on the backburner when I was at Essendon, but it is something I love and something that keeps me happy away from the club."
When McKenna departed the hub in 2020 his AFL career looked over. He returned to Melbourne to pack up his belongings and swiftly fled a country in lockdown to return home to Northern Ireland. But despite battling homesickness and ugly media persecution for his false positive COVID-19 test in June of that year, he left the door ajar for the right opportunity at the right time.
The time was right last year. McKenna achieved what he wanted to accomplish back home when he helped County Tyrone win its first All-Ireland crown in more than a decade in 2021. And while he was content running a café with his brother back home and preparing for greater involvement in horse racing, he had unfinished business.
"I suppose when I went home in 2020, I was just ready for a break, ready to play some Gaelic Football again," McKenna said. "I went back and was lucky enough to win the All-Ireland, which is what I wanted to do. After I won that I sort of made the decision that I would come back out. I'm very happy with that decision. Myself and my girlfriend are really enjoying living in Brisbane.
"I thought I would always come back at some stage. I knew it was the right decision at the time and I'm very happy that I did go home, but I probably knew at some stage if Gaelic went well – and it did – I would be drawn back towards the lifestyle and the opportunity to play somewhere and go deep into finals and hopefully win a premiership."
When he was being chased by a handful of suitors in 2022, Brisbane's long pursuit didn't go unnoticed. The Lions first made an approach to McKenna's manager, Tom Petroro from TLA Worldwide, back in 2018 before he re-signed with the Bombers. Then Dom Ambrogio went to visit him at home in July last year.
The Lions' list manager was in London with his wife and three children when he boarded a flight on the day the mercury reached 40 degrees for the first time on record in the capital, landing in Belfast 90 minutes later to be greeted by rain and McKenna waiting for him out the front of the airport wearing equestrian boots and a beaming smile.
Brisbane had a lot of balls in the air last year. It needed to accumulate enough points to match bids for father-son pair Will Ashcroft and Jaspa Fletcher. And it needed to find a way to broker deals to secure the services of Josh Dunkleyand Jack GunstonPLAYERCARDSTART5Josh Dunkley
- Age
- 27
- Ht
- 191cm
- Wt
- 87kg
- Pos.
- Mid
CareerSeasonLast 5
- D
- 21.8
- 5star
- K
- 10.4
- 4star
- HB
- 11.3
- 5star
- M
- 4.3
- 4star
- T
- 5.8
- 5star
- CL
- 3.2
- 5star
- D
- 20.7
- 5star
- K
- 7.0
- 3star
- HB
- 13.7
- 5star
- M
- 2.3
- 2star
- T
- 5.3
- 5star
- CL
- 2.7
- 4star
- D
- 14.2
- 4star
- K
- 7.2
- 3star
- HB
- 7.0
- 5star
- M
- 4.8
- 5star
- T
- 4.0
- 5star
- CL
- 1.4
- 4star
PLAYERCARDENDin October. When it came to McKenna, it investigated the ability to recruit him via the next SSP and knew it could land him without using the draft capital it simply couldn't afford to spend in 2022, as long as other clubs didn't hijack that idea.PLAYERCARDSTART19Jack Gunston
- Age
- 32
- Ht
- 193cm
- Wt
- 86kg
- Pos.
- Fwd
CareerSeasonLast 5
- D
- 15.5
- 4star
- K
- 10.5
- 4star
- HB
- 5.0
- 4star
- M
- 5.7
- 5star
- T
- 2.2
- 4star
- G
- 1.9
- 5star
- D
- 10.6
- 3star
- K
- 8.0
- 3star
- HB
- 2.6
- 2star
- M
- 4.3
- 4star
- T
- 1.7
- 3star
- G
- 1.6
- 5star
- D
- 11.2
- 3star
- K
- 7.0
- 3star
- HB
- 4.2
- 4star
- M
- 3.2
- 4star
- T
- 2.6
- 4star
- G
- 0.6
- 3star
PLAYERCARDEND
The Lions just needed to understand what was driving McKenna's intention to return. Was it a financial decision? Or did he actually want to achieve something? Ambrogio found the answers he was looking for in the few hours he spent driving to and from the airport with McKenna and while sitting around the table with his mum and dad inside their home in Northern Ireland.
When McKenna eventually committed to Brisbane, it was a collective effort that secured his signature. Joe Daniher had kept in touch and provided a trusted voice. Pro scout Shane Rogers had tracked his form closely via GAA GO, the Gaelic Football streaming service, and knew he was still physically capable. Head of football Danny Daly's fingerprints were on the move along with Fagan's – they had spent time pitching on long distance phone calls and Zoom meetings – while CEO Greg Swann was involved in the background, helping connect the dots.
Having lived and breathed life in a football obsessed city, playing for a traditional powerhouse, the opportunity to play off-Broadway at the Gabba appealed to McKenna, but it wasn't the only appeal. After playing in two losing finals during his time at the Bombers, joining a side that had reached the penultimate weekend last season – the second preliminary final in three years – and is primed for a deep September run this year was part of the lure of heading to Brisbane.
"At Essendon, I played in two or three finals and never won any. That was always a goal of mine. Ideally, I'd love to win a premiership, but to play deep into finals is the goal. That's why I chose to come here to Brisbane. It is a long season, but we have started well and hopefully we can do that," he said.
"Queensland was definitely appealing because it's not as AFL focused, so you can fly under the radar a bit more, which is really enjoyable. My girlfriend had a few friends up there which made it easier for her, but it was also about the change from Melbourne – that was one of the main reasons."
McKenna only has a contract for 2023 and hasn't thought too far beyond this season. Other clubs offered more lucrative and longer terms, but he wanted to prove himself first after the way things ended last time. There is no timeframe on his second stint in the AFL, but now at a more mature point in his life, and with his partner Amy based with him Brisbane, this is a different McKenna to the one who lived in Melbourne.
"The first time I was here I always wanted to get home, whereas now I'm a lot more settled," he said. "If it's two years I'm happy, if it's five years it doesn't bother me. That's a big thing for me, because previously, as soon as the season was over I was just gone out the door back to Ireland. I'm a lot more settled now with my girlfriend and in Brisbane. If it's two or five years, it doesn't bother me, to be honest."
With Zach Tuohyand Mark O'ConnorPLAYERCARDSTART2Zach Tuohy
- Age
- 34
- Ht
- 187cm
- Wt
- 94kg
- Pos.
- Mid
CareerSeasonLast 5
- D
- 17.7
- 4star
- K
- 11.2
- 4star
- HB
- 6.5
- 4star
- M
- 3.7
- 4star
- T
- 1.7
- 4star
- CL
- 0.7
- 3star
- D
- 18.9
- 4star
- K
- 15.4
- 5star
- HB
- 3.5
- 2star
- M
- 3.6
- 4star
- T
- 1.1
- 2star
- CL
- 1.1
- 3star
- D
- 11.4
- 3star
- K
- 7.0
- 3star
- HB
- 4.4
- 4star
- M
- 2.6
- 3star
- T
- 1.0
- 3star
- CL
- 0.4
- 3star
PLAYERCARDENDbecoming just the second and third premiership players from the Emerald Isle last September, McKenna is on a mission to become the fourth after Tadhg KennellyPLAYERCARDSTART42Mark O'connor
- Age
- 27
- Ht
- 189cm
- Wt
- 88kg
- Pos.
- D/M
CareerSeasonLast 5
- D
- 13.2
- 3star
- K
- 8.1
- 3star
- HB
- 5.1
- 4star
- M
- 4.4
- 4star
- T
- 2.3
- 4star
- MG
- 174.8
- 3star
- D
- 12.4
- 3star
- K
- 8.9
- 4star
- HB
- 3.5
- 2star
- M
- 4.5
- 4star
- T
- 1.6
- 3star
- MG
- 199.8
- 3star
- D
- 10.4
- 3star
- K
- 4.8
- 2star
- HB
- 5.6
- 4star
- M
- 3.8
- 4star
- T
- 2.0
- 4star
- MG
- 67.4
- 1star
PLAYERCARDENDgot there first in 2005.PLAYERCARDSTARTTadhg Kennelly
- Age
- 43
- Ht
- 189cm
- Wt
- 90kg
- Pos.
- Def
CareerSeasonLast 5
- D
- 16.6
- 4star
- K
- 9.8
- 4star
- HB
- 6.8
- 4star
- M
- 3.8
- 4star
- T
- 1.8
- 4star
No current season stats available
- D
- 16.8
- 4star
- K
- 8.6
- 4star
- HB
- 8.2
- 5star
- M
- 4.4
- 4star
- T
- 0.8
- 3star
PLAYERCARDEND
Whether he returns home at the end of his career with a premiership medallion or not, McKenna will return ready for the next phase of his life. And that's doing what is in his blood. That's why he is spending so much of his spare time at Eagle Farm. That's why he doesn't mind the early morning alarms.
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Conor McKenna's "phenomenal" return to the AFL this season has far exceeded Brisbane's expectations for the dashing defender, says the club's football manager Danny Daly.
After finishing up with Essendon at the end of 2020, McKenna went back to Ireland to play two seasons of Gaelic football with Tyrone before returning to the AFL.
On Saturday against Adelaide, the 27-year-old will play his 100th career game, 20 of which have come this season without a miss.
Although McKenna said he was "bullish" about making an immediate impact, Daly said the club was prepared for a slower return to his best.
"To be perfectly honest we thought it'd take him eight or nine games to get back into the flow of things and he'd be really important for us in the back half of the year," Daly said.
"That's how we looked at it.
"For him to play every game so far is a lot more than what we expected.
"Two years away playing a different sport and being able to come back and do what he's been able to do is pretty phenomenal when you think about it."
McKenna had interest from Geelong, Port Adelaide and Essendon, but opted for the Lions as he sought to add to his two finals appearances with the Bombers.
His impact has come both offensively with his daring run and carry, but also defensively, with his combativeness and speed to close down opposition space.
Brisbane took his pre-season cautiously. Daly said McKenna was treated like a first-year player as he was re-integrated through December and January, to minimise the risk of injury.
However, he progressed quickly and forced his way into the top-four team during practice matches.
The transition came through hard work.
"I was pretty bullish," McKenna said.
"I wanted to play as many games as possible. My first goal was to play round one, get in the team, tick that off the list and then build consistent football.
"When I first went home, I didn't do any gym work for two years. I'm not a massive fan of gym, so I had a break.
"I probably lost three or four kilos of muscle mass, so that was probably the main thing coming back here, getting back in the gym on a daily basis.
"I actually struggled (with the running) going back home to play Gaelic. You don't really get a break in Gaelic. It goes for 70 minutes and normally you don't come off.
"AFL at least you get a break once a quarter, which is pretty good."
Daly said not only had McKenna fitted in on the field, but off it as well, with his jovial nature a nice complement to quieter backline teammates like Brandon Starcevich, Jack Payne and Keidean Coleman.PLAYERCARDSTART37Brandon Starcevich
- Age
- 25
- Ht
- 187cm
- Wt
- 90kg
- Pos.
- Def
CareerSeasonLast 5
- D
- 9.2
- 2star
- K
- 6.5
- 3star
- HB
- 2.6
- 2star
- M
- 2.8
- 3star
- T
- 2.0
- 4star
- MG
- 185.3
- 3star
- D
- 9.5
- 2star
- K
- 7.3
- 3star
- HB
- 2.3
- 2star
- M
- 3.6
- 4star
- T
- 2.1
- 3star
- MG
- 187.9
- 3star
- D
- 8.6
- 3star
- K
- 5.4
- 2star
- HB
- 3.2
- 3star
- M
- 1.4
- 2star
- T
- 1.8
- 4star
- MG
- 181.2
- 3star
PLAYERCARDEND
He also has a passion away from the football field – horses.
McKenna heads to Eagle Farm or Doomben Racecourse regularly for trackwork at Rob Heathcote's stables.
It's just a small part of the reason he has adapted to life in his new city so quickly.
"He's been a great pick-up for us," Daly said.
"He's certainly gone well beyond what we thought he'd be able to output this year and he's going to be pretty important to us for the last few weeks and finals."
The news articles was off expectations. Don't know if anything is officially signed yet - will probably be after finals anyway.What has happened with Conor's contract extension - I thought he had agreed to stay on but can't find any confirmation of a new contract?
Was wondering if they were saving 1 or 2 for just before/after Finals or maybe even in the week of the Granny.The news articles was off expectations. Don't know if anything is officially signed yet - will probably be after finals anyway.
IRISHMAN Conor McKenna has signed a two-year extension to remain at Brisbane after an impressive return to the AFL in 2023.
The 27-year-old joined the Lions on a one-year rookie deal last November via the pre-season supplemental selection period, after meeting with St Kilda, Geelong, Port Adelaide and Essendon.
McKenna could have signed a more lucrative deal when he returned to Australia but opted to assess his options after getting through most of his return season before negotiating an extension.
Now the County Tyrone product has put pen to paper on a deal that will tie him to Brisbane until the end of 2025.
McKenna has played all 24 matches – including the qualifying final win over Port Adelaide earlier this month – since returning to the game he walked away from in 2020.
The half-back chose to return home to Ireland amid the coronavirus pandemic after playing 79 games across six seasons at Essendon.
Brisbane list manager Dom Ambrogio visited McKenna in Northern Ireland midway through last year after initially trying to secure his signature in 2018 and sold the former Bomber on the chance of playing in a premiership.
I assume that this means that Conor ceases to be a "rookie" listed player and goes on to our main list from 2024?
Have no doubt he is being paid just a bit more than a rookie, so helps if we can still pay a certain percentage outside the cap.This would take him to the end of his three year rookie eligibility. Unless there's word otherwise, it's safe to assume he stays on the list to help maintain list flexibility.
There are no restrictions on what rookies can be paid any more. For any player on the rookie list, the equivalent to a standard rookie wage is outside the cap.Have no doubt he is being paid just a bit more than a rookie, so helps if we can still pay a certain percentage outside the cap.
Tadhg Kennelly’s AFL Premiership-All-Ireland SFC double is in Conor McKenna’s sights as he and his Brisbane Lions face Collingwood in Saturday’s Grand Final in Melbourne’s MCG (5.30am start Irish time).PLAYERCARDSTARTTadhg Kennelly
- Age
- 43
- Ht
- 189cm
- Wt
- 90kg
- Pos.
- Def
CareerSeasonLast 5
- D
- 16.6
- 4star
- K
- 9.8
- 4star
- HB
- 6.8
- 4star
- M
- 3.8
- 4star
- T
- 1.8
- 4star
No current season stats available
- D
- 16.8
- 4star
- K
- 8.6
- 4star
- HB
- 8.2
- 5star
- M
- 4.4
- 4star
- T
- 0.8
- 3star
PLAYERCARDEND
After claiming the Australian’s game top honour with the Sydney Swans in 2005, Kerryman Kennelly matched it when he featured in Kerry’s ‘09 All-Ireland winning team.
McKenna, 27, is looking to do it in reverse having first collected a Celtic Cross with Tyrone two years ago with the defeat of Mayo.
Following his switch back to Australia before this season, he now stands on the cusp of emulating Kennelly, who had a major say in him making the switch Down Under in 2017.
“Tadhg Kennellywas the first person to ring me about AFL, so from being scouted by him to possibly going to do what he has done would be unbelievable and sort of get one back on him hopefully,” he told Australia’s SevenNews.PLAYERCARDSTARTTadhg Kennelly
- Age
- 43
- Ht
- 189cm
- Wt
- 90kg
- Pos.
- Def
CareerSeasonLast 5
- D
- 16.6
- 4star
- K
- 9.8
- 4star
- HB
- 6.8
- 4star
- M
- 3.8
- 4star
- T
- 1.8
- 4star
No current season stats available
- D
- 16.8
- 4star
- K
- 8.6
- 4star
- HB
- 8.2
- 5star
- M
- 4.4
- 4star
- T
- 0.8
- 3star
PLAYERCARDEND
“I was lucky enough to win a Sam Maguire with my team Tyrone and after that I knew I would like to try and win a Premiership over here.”
After his initial spell with Essendon, half-back McKenna made an inspired choice in signing for the Queensland outfit Lions at the end of last year having also had discussions with his former club, last year’s champions Geelong, Port Adelaide and St Kilda.
Known for his attacking style and occasional Gaelic football-style solo, McKenna kicked an excellent goal in the preliminary final victory over Carlton in the Lions’ Gabba Stadium the weekend before last.
“If I see a kick or a run, I just go for it. It’s a risk, reward, I suppose, so if you see it, hit it and that’s the way I play.”
McKenna believes moving away from the goldfish bowl of Melbourne to Brisbane where AFL isn’t the first sport has been key to his revival in the Australian code. In 2020, he received ridiculously negative press after his positive Covid test meant a postponement of an Essendon game which in part prompted his return to Ireland.
“Going back and playing amateur football was unbelievable. We were a big club in Melbourne and the cameras were there most Monday mornings after games.
“It (Brisbane) is sort of relaxing. You can come in and train and then you leave and you don’t really hear much about AFL.”
McKenna signed a new two-year contract with the Lions earlier this month as the club’s general manager Danny Daly hailed the Eglish man as “a brilliant recruit for our club as a player and as a person.”