Conor McKenna still holds out hope of winning an All-Ireland with Tyrone

IT’S news that will have pricked the ears of your more discerning Tyrone fan: Conor McKenna is back playing Gaelic Football for his native Eglish.

He’s been playing his part in Eglish’s ongoing fight for survival in Division One, but he won’t be sticking around – a return to the bright lights of Australia and a blossoming AFL career with Essendon is imminent.

McKenna rose to national prominence in 2013 with a series of man of the match performances as Tyrone made it to an ill-fated All-Ireland minor final against Mayo.

13 months later he enlisted at one of the AFL’s oldest clubs Essendon as a rookie and he was fast-tracked to the senior line-up, making his debut for the Melbourne club in August last year.

His rapid progress has been rewarded with an extension on his initial two-year contract until the end of 2017 – no mean-feat in the ruthlessly competitive world of AFL.

The burning question on the lips of Tyrone fans remains: will McKenna don the red and white again at some point in the future. It’s a distinct possibility, but the time-scale is a little harder to predict.

He said: “I can’t put a date on it, it could be two years, it could be three or four years, it could be five years, I’ll just have to see what happens. Definitely at some stage I’d like to come home and play for Tyrone and hopefully win an All-Ireland. Tadhg [Kennelly] did it, he got lucky and won it the first year he came home with Kerry.”

McKenna watched on enviously as Tyrone won the All-Ireland U21 title last year – it’s a safe bet that he would’ve been a pivotal part of the squad had he stayed in Ireland. When all is said and done, he’s made his bed in Australia and for now he’s happy to lie in it.

“I watched most games, I saw the Ulster final and the main games. They looked like they were flying and hopefully they go close next year.

“More so than the Ulster final I found it hard to watch the U21s. You want them to win but in the back of my head I was thinking I could’ve been there.

“I played minors for three years and U21s for two years and never won anything, then the year I leave they win the All-Ireland which is a bit sickening. That’s just the decision you have to make.”

Our full extended interview with Conor McKenna is available in store today or online here.