Conor McKenna

Conor McKenna (born 28 March 1996) is an Irish sportsman who played professional Australian rules football for the Essendon Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL).

Conor McKenna
McKenna playing for Essendon in August 2018
Personal information
Full name Conor McKenna
Date of birth (1996-03-28) 28 March 1996
Place of birth County Tyrone, Northern Ireland
Draft No. 62, 2014 rookie draft
Height 184 cm (6 ft 0 in)
Weight 88 kg (194 lb)
Position(s) Half-back flank
Club information
Current club Essendon
Number 45
Playing career
Years Club Games (Goals)
2015–2020 Essendon 79 (20)
Career highlights
Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

McKenna was born in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland, and grew up in the village of Benburb near Dungannon. There he played Gaelic football for Eglish St Patrick's and the Tyrone county team (minors).[1] In 2012, McKenna played a starring role in Tyrone's run to the All-Ireland Minor Football Championship Final.[2]

In December 2013, the then 18-year-old McKenna attracted interest from several AFL clubs when he was spotted at a talent combine in Ireland.[3] Ten months later, on 3 October 2014, Essendon secured McKenna to a two-year deal as a Category B rookie.[3][4] McKenna made his AFL debut against Richmond at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in round 22, 2015,[5] and kicked a goal with his first kick.[6] McKenna re-signed with Essendon at the end of 2017 with a new four-year contract.[7]

On 20 June 2020, McKenna tested positive for COVID-19. This resulted in the postponement of the match scheduled for the following day between Essendon and Melbourne.[8] One other player was quarantined due to close contact during training. McKenna had another COVID-19 test on 22 June which was confirmed as negative in the evening of 23 June. He remained in quarantine pending a further test later in the week.[9]

On 8 September 2020, McKenna announced his retirement and return to Ireland after 79 games played.[10]

The following month, McKenna scored two goals for Tyrone that helped relegate Mayo from the 2020 National Football League, in what was the county's first time to be knocked out of the top flight in 23 years.[11]

Statistics
Statistics are correct to the end of round 23, 2019[12]
Legend
 G  Goals  B  Behinds  K  Kicks  H  Handballs  D  Disposals  M  Marks  T  Tackles
Season Team No. Games Totals Averages (per game)
G B K H D M T G B K H D M T
2015 Essendon4522313922731.01.56.54.511.03.51.5
2016 Essendon4512331026516741210.30.38.55.413.93.41.8
2017 Essendon45195120711532269290.30.110.96.116.93.61.5
2018 Essendon45187421310932257300.40.211.86.117.93.21.7
2019 Essendon45222131614446058340.10.014.46.520.92.61.5
Career 73 19 12 850 443 1293 232 117 0.3 0.2 11.6 6.1 17.7 3.2 1.6

References
  1. "Tyrone man Conor McKenna to make Aussie Rules debut". BBC.com. 26 August 2015. Retrieved 14 July 2017.
  2. O'Toole, Jack (14 June 2017). "'He's got some real talent' - Aussie Rules star on Conor McKenna's rise in the AFL and his peculiar diet". Independent.ie. Retrieved 14 July 2017.
  3. King, Travis (3 October 2014). "Essendon wins race to sign Gaelic football star". AFL.com.au. Retrieved 14 July 2017.
  4. Mannix, Liam (3 October 2014). "Conor McKenna may yet be the pick of the Irish says AFL talent manager Kevin Sheehan". TheAge.com.au. Retrieved 14 July 2017.
  5. Nicholson, Larissa (26 August 2015). "Irishman Conor McKenna to play for Essendon in AFL". TheAge.com.au. Retrieved 14 July 2017.
  6. Twomey, Callum (29 August 2015). "Tigers down feisty Dons in scrappy contest". AFL.com.au. Retrieved 30 August 2015.
  7. McGowan, Marc (13 September 2017). "Irish jet signs long-term deal with Dons". AFL.com.au. Australian Football League. Retrieved 13 September 2017.
  8. Cleary, Mitch (20 June 2020). "Dons-Dees postponed after Bomber tests positive". Australian Football League. Retrieved 20 June 2020.
  9. Niall, Jake (23 June 2020). "Essendon's McKenna now tests negative". The Age. Retrieved 24 June 2020.
  10. Twomey, Callum (8 September 2020). "Essendon Speedster Shocks Teammates With Retirement Announcement". Retrieved 8 September 2020.
  11. "Mayo relegated to Division 2 for the first time in 23 years by Tyrone defeat". The42.ie. 25 October 2020.
  12. "Conor McKenna". AFL Tables. Retrieved 17 September 2019.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.