Conor McKenna has revealed he plans to quit the AFL in the ‘next few years’
It’s been a wild few months for Conor McKenna, who has spent time inside and outside the AFL bubble. And after nearly walking away from the game in the off-season, it appears his exit strategy has progressed.
Essendon
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Essendon star Conor McKenna has revealed he plans to turn his back on AFL football “in the next few years”, saying the dream of winning “All-Irelands” remains too strong to keep him playing his adopted game.
As the Bombers grapple with plans to potentially get McKenna back from Ireland when AFL football resumes later in the year, the man himself says he can’t see himself playing Australian rules beyond the end of his 2021 contract.
He returned home to his family for the second time in as many months following the AFL postponement of the season last month due to the coronavirus pandemic.
There is no fixed time on a possible return for McKenna given a potential lockdown of Australia’s borders, even after local restrictions are eased.
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“I will be home in the next few years,” McKenna told Northern Ireland’s BBC Sport, detailing his Bombers’ exit strategy.
“Whether it’s this year or next year I’m just not sure at the minute.
“I’ve always had the idea I’d like to return home to Eglish (his local team) and if good enough for Tyrone. It’s been five-and-a-half years now and I always think about the opportunity to come back.”
McKenna had to spend his 24th birthday in self isolation in County Donegal after returning to Ireland.
The speedy Bomber, who finished fourth in Essendon’s best and fairest last year, has been plagued by homesickness in recent times.
Contracted by the Bombers until the end of the 2021 season, McKenna was granted leave by Essendon earlier this year to return home for a period, but he returned to Melbourne a few weeks before the start of the season.
But he opted to go home when the AFL season shut down after only one round, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I didn’t grow up dreaming of playing AFL, I’m very fortunate to have the opportunity at the minute, but I did grow up dreaming of playing for Tyrone, win Ulsters, win All-Irelands,” McKenna said of his passion to return to Gaelic football.
“I want to play for Eglish first and see if I can kick the ball straight, then reassess from there.”
McKenna’s passion was on show in November when he played for Eglish, much to the disappointment of the Bombers.
Essendon coach John Worsfold said on Wednesday the club was confident it could provide a platform for McKenna to thrive when back in Australia.
“We’ve got three young Irish guys back in Ireland, which was the right thing to do for this period,” Worsfold said.
“When everything starts to open up, our expectation is if they are allowed to come back, and get into it, we’ll get them back. If they have to go into two weeks’ quarantine to come back, they will do that.
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“My expectation is that (McKenna is) really keen and he’ll be over there following a training program and looking forward to getting back over here and getting into it.”
McKenna said there were some valuable lessons to take out of the current global pandemic.
“Stay positive, feed off your family and friends. Be happy with the small stuff. Money isn’t everything,” he said.
“Communicate with your family and friends, build a better relationship and just try and get through this difficult time together.”