CONOR McKENNA, the Tyrone footballer star, has signed a one-year deal with the Brisbane Lions ahead of the 2023 season.
McKenna won an All-Ireland with Tyrone in 2021 and has spent the past two seasons playing Gaelic football.
He played 79 games for Essendon between 2015 and 2020, and returns to the AFL ahead of the new season.
The 26-year-old will join former Dublin minor James Madden and former Essendon teammate Joe Daniher in lining out at The Gabba during the upcoming pre-season supplemental selection period, which starts on 5 December.
Lions’ general manager Danny Daly said: “We see Conor being a player who further improves our list, particularly as he adds both run and speed.
“He showed in his time at Essendon that one of his strengths is that he can play at both ends of the ground, and he can also win plenty of the ball.
“We look forward to Conor putting in a solid pre-season and helping us go that next step in 2023.”
McKenna became known for his dashing run in his time with Essendon, where he led the league for total running bounces (79) in 2019.
McKenna said he was “delighted” to be joining Brisbane.
“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,” McKenna said.
“The club has been great for both myself and my partner Amy in making us feel comfortable and putting foundations in place to make sure the move out goes as smooth as possible.
“I am really looking forward to getting back out and into the swing of things.”
