Conor on final stretch in Oz as he Hands his county huge boost

MCKENNA EYES ESSENDON SILVERWARE BEFORE COMING HOME

CONOR MCKENNA is raring to go as he gets set to fly back to Australia and link up with Essendon.

The former Tyrone minor star flew home to Ireland for the second time this year after the coronavirus outbreak saw the Australian Football League shut down in March.

But with action set to resume next month, Mckenna is expected in Melbourne in the coming days.

A number of the 17 Irish players on the books of AFL clubs chose to travel home as Mckenna did, though others

NO DRAMATIC SWITCH FOR BRIT ACE like Colin O’riordan (Sydney Swans), Zach Tuohy (Geelong) and Pearce Hanley (Gold Coast Suns) opted to stay on in Australia.

There are strict restrictions in place for entry into Australia, with citizens and permanent residents having to quarantine at “designated facilities” for 14 days on arrival.

Those who fall outside of those categories are only allowed in in exceptional cases.

Sligo man Luke Towey, a team-mate of Hanley’s, is the only player from the club not yet back on the Gold Coast ahead of training resuming, while Collingwood have been working with the Australian Government and the AFL to allow Anton Tohill (Derry) and Mark Keane (Cork) to return from Ireland.

Gold Coast chief executive Mark Evans said: “The AFL PA (players’ body) and the AFL are working through with the Federal Government about what will happen to the Irish players, so we are on stand-by to get him back as soon as we can.”

Mckenna, while reiterating his plan to move back to Ireland permanently and play with Tyrone in the next “one to three years”, has unfinished business in the AFL.

“We haven’t had a good run in finals which is something I’d like to achieve,” he told the Herald Sun.

“I’ve played two finals and I’ve been beaten in both of them. That’s probably the goal – to get a go in finals.

“I want to come home before I’m done playing Gaelic. I always have and will have an ambition to come home in the next few years.”

Best known as a forward in Gaelic football, Mckenna has operated in defence since moving to Australia, though he’s hoping to make a breakthrough in attack soon.

“At some stage I want to go forward and I was trying to get it this year but then all of

DARTS: EX-WORLD CHAMP JOINING THE ACTION this happened,” 24-year-old.

“I would like to try a year probably as a forward, as much as you can as a forward, before I’m done.”

The Eglish man stated how grateful he is to Essendon after flying him home swiftly when he was struggling with homesickness in February.

He explained: “The club has always been really good, they said if you were homesick they’re always happy for you to go home for a few weeks.

“That was on a Monday at two o’clock and I flew out at 10 o’clock that night.”

said

the