Conor McKenna: Tyrone All-Ireland winner signs for AFL side Brisbane Lions
- Published
Conor McKenna (left) celebrates with the Sam Maguire Cup after the 2021 All-Ireland final win over Mayo
AFL side Brisbane Lions have confirmed that they have signed Tyrone's All-Ireland winning forward Conor McKenna.
McKenna has previously played in Australia, joining Melbourne-based Essendon as a teenager in 2015.
The Eglish clubman returned home two years ago, making his senior Tyrone debut in 2020 before winning the Sam Maguire a year later.
McKenna is understood to have spoken with a number of different clubs before opting to join the Queensland side.
"I am delighted to be joining the Lions at such an exciting time for the club, both on and off field, including the great new facilities at Springfield," the 26-year-old told the Brisbane website.
"I wanted to come back to a club that was playing deep into finals pushing for a premiership and Brisbane have been doing that for the last number of years."
He will begin pre-season training with his new club on 5 December.
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McKenna was a star of the Tyrone minor side that won the Ulster title in 2012 before leaving to pursue a career in Australian Rules football.
He played over 70 times for Essendon and earned a new four-year contract in 2017, but made no secret of the fact that he wanted to return and win an All-Ireland with the Red Hands.
He played a key role in Tyrone's 2021 Sam Maguire Cup success, scoring two goals in the semi-final win over Kerry and setting up the clinching goal for Darren McCurry in the final against Mayo.
The news of McKenna's departure is a blow for the Red Hands after a disappointing 2022 season in which their Sam Maguire Cup defence was ended by Armagh in a first-round qualifier.
McKenna, 26, was sent off in the Ulster Championship preliminary round win over Fermanagh, and while that was overturned, he was also shown a red card in the quarter-final as Tyrone's provincial reign was ended by Derry.