08 September 2020

Ireland’s Conor McKenna announces he’s quitting Aussie football to return home

Ireland’s Conor McKenna has announced his retirement from Australian football after suffering from home-sickness. 

The 24 year-old has played 79 games over the course of six years with Australian Football League club Essendon.

His contract was due to expire in 2021 but after a tough year including testing positive for Covid-19, he has decided to return home to Ireland permanently. 

McKenna said: "I do really feel the time is now right for me to return home to Ireland.

"I’ve made no secret of the fact that at some point, I’d want to be returning home to my family and I’ve been weighing up the decision recently.

“It’s been a difficult year for everyone, but it’s also been a chance to take stock and weigh up several things in my life, so the time is right. I will always be grateful for Essendon’s support of both myself and my family since I arrived at the club from the other side of the world at the end of 2014.”

The half-back flank made his debut for the Bombers in 2015 against Richmond at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. 

Essendon’s general manager of football Dan Richardson added: "In recent years we’ve had very open and honest conversations with Conor, and his desire to return back home to Ireland has been no secret.

“It has been a very trying year for Conor personally, too, but ultimately we accept that the pull to return home was too strong.”

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