Conor McKenna remains tight-lipped on returning from Ireland
Bombers runner Conor McKenna flew back to Ireland in the past fortnight. Will the pull of hometown Eglish be too much for the dynamic defender? Foreign correspondent Stephen Drill has the latest.
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Eglish’s Gaelic football pitch is a long way from the MCG.
The pitch, about an hour’s drive west of Belfast in Northern Ireland, has a concrete terrace and an overhead high metal fence separating spectators from players.
There are no corporate boxes with fancy wines or TV cameras scrutinising every move and when the Herald Sun visited this week, it was snowing.
For Conor McKenna, there’s no better place.
It’s home.
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The question for Essendon coach John Worsfold is will the pull of Eglish be too much for one of the brightest stars in the Bombers’ defence?
McKenna did not want to answer questions when the Herald Sun visited this week, he was out shopping in Belfast before catching up with mates.
And his family were keeping mum too.
Even the chairman of the Eglish Gaelic football club was desperate to avoid putting pressure on his decision either way, which some say may significantly shape Essendon’s finals hopes.
McKenna has been spending time with his family and friends on an extended stay in Northern Ireland after five years in the AFL system, while his teammates sweat it out on the training track.
McKenna, who turns 24 in March, has been battling homesickness, and when you visit his home you can understand why.
There are dozens of relatives literally living on the same street as his family in Dungannon, a short drive from Eglish’s pitch.
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Everybody knows him here, and among the people we spoke with, everyone loves him.
He has been spotted dropping in on his former teammates at the Eglish St Patrick’s Gaelic football club, a bit like Luke Hodge used to do frequently at the Colac Tigers.
The 73-game AFL player has been torn by missing his hometown, where his family run a successful business and sponsor the local Gaelic football club, and returning to Tullamarine, sources revealed this week.
But the extra time at home has slightly improved his chances of returning to Australia, with the Bombers’ supportive attitude being appreciated.
Sources in the town say Essendon has done everything right to try to keep him.
Brian Murtagh, club chairman at Eglish St Patrick’s Gaelic Football Club, said the whole town was proud of McKenna whatever decision he made.
“The club would be proud of him,” he said.
“He’s still the same Conor. A lot of people are very fond of him, Nobody would say a word, whatever decision he makes, whatever he decides.”
McKenna has missed a significant portion of the Bombers pre-season and would be in a race against time to play in round one.
However, Mr Murtagh, 49, said he had been looking after himself and was still match fit.
“He’s keeping in good shape,” he said.
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The McKenna family are a part of the fabric of the Eglish community.
Conor’s mother Sheila was a champion camogie player, which is the female version of hurling, and the family has been on the Eglish club’s committee.
“Conor’s mum, she wouldn’t tell you like, but she was all class,” Mr Murtagh said.
The McKenna family also paid for the materials and labour for the roof of the changing rooms at Eglish’s training ground, Mr Murtagh added.
McKenna played in a Gaelic football match for Eglish in November in a playoff game.
Cathal McShane, another County Tyrone local, knocked back a potential offer from the Adelaide Crows this month.
McKenna and McShane would likely play together for County Tyrone, the step above the competition that Eglish plays in, if he were to stay in Ireland and return to Gaelic football.
McShane, who is staying in Ireland partly because of a job offer from Keystone lintels in Cookstown, about 20 minutes drive from Dungannon, did not respond to requests for comment this week.
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The Gaelic Athletic Association has been monitoring McKenna’s contract dilemma, ready to offer him a spot if he decides to stay in Ireland and play in its amateur league.
He would need to work a paid job as well as training four or five nights a week if he stays in Northern Ireland.
But locals were determined that no pressure should be put on him.
“If he’s unhappy then I don’t think he should go back, he’s a really good man,” Leona Gallagher said.
“It’s more to do with him missing his family and being homesick.”
McKenna and his family declined to comment.
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