The Dungannon man helped Brisbane Lions to their first premiership in 21 years.
Conor McKenna joins Tadhg Kennelly as only the second player in history to win both an All-Ireland and an AFL Premiership after Brisbane Lions overcame Sydney Swans in the grand final at Melbourne Cricket Ground.
The Lions, who narrowly lost in last year’s grand final, sailed to an 18.12 (120) – 9.6 (60) victory over the Swans.
BRISBANE, WE DID IT! 2024 AFL PREMIERS 🏆 pic.twitter.com/1uDTvuS3ev
— Brisbane Lions (@brisbanelions) September 28, 2024
Today’s win marks the first time in 21 years that the premiership title will be brought back to Brisbane, and makes McKenna’s return to Australia in 2023 worthwhile.
The 28-year old moved down under in 2014, signing a six-year contract with Essendon which concluded in the midst of the Covid lockdown in 2020.
After contracting Covid-19 that year and becoming the subject of an intense trial by media, McKenna announced his retirement from the sport and returned to Tyrone.
Towards the end of 2020, McKenna resumed his gaelic football career and managed to snatch an unlikely All-Ireland medal – Tyrone capitalising on Dublin’s mysterious off-year to win 2021’s straight knockout championship.
McKenna was prominent enough in the success, slipping home two goals as they caught Kerry on the hop in the semi-final.
In the final, he laid on the killer second goal for Darren McCurry with a stylish no-look fist pass across goal.
Two years on from that success, he returned to Australia before the 2023 season, signing for the Lions.
Less than two years on from that decision, McKenna joins Kennelly as the only two men alive who can say they’ve lifted both the Sam Maguire Cup and the AFL Premiership trophy.
He has made 17 appearances for Brisbane in the run to the final this year, with an inventive little pass to create a goal in last weekend’s victory over Geelong being crucial to that semi-final win.
His home club, Eglish GAA, expressed their pride at their clubman’s victory on social media.
Huge Congratulations to Conor McKenna as he becomes only the second man in history to win AFL Grand Final and an All-Ireland medal. Well done to Conor and his Brisbane Lions team on their impressive victory over Sydney Swans this morning 👏🏆. pic.twitter.com/q3adByMnVK
— Eglish GAC (@EglishGAC) September 28, 2024
McKenna can surely now be considered amongst the most successful Irish exports to Australia along with Kennelly.
The Kerryman was the most successful recruit among the second wave of the Irish experiment in the 2000s, making almost 200 appearances for Sydney, itself an upstart entity in a league traditionally centred around Melbourne.
Kennelly became the first Irish player to win an AFL Premiership title in 2005.
