Former Essendon defender Conor McKenna has revealed he would be open to a return to the Bombers via the mid-season draft on a part-time basis, per The Herald Sun.
The 24-year-old returned home to Northern Ireland after a difficult past 12 months after struggling in his return to Melbourne earlier this year and testing positive to COVID-19 mid-season.
“I don’t think it’s totally done. There’s a thing in the AFL where you can get a mid-season draft so you can actually get drafted in June and go out from June until September. It’s only really a two- or three-month thing,” McKenna said.
“I do think the possibility may be there in three or four years with Gaelic, the way they’re talking about a split season, if Tyrone was out and the club was out of the championship and there was a possibility of going over for two or three months, it’s not something I’d close the door on.”
McKenna has featured for Gaelic side Tyrone since returning home, winning Player of the Month for October, with his side have since been eliminated from the championship running.
Last month McKenna revealed he was finding more happiness following his return to Northern Ireland after six years with Essendon.
“There is a belief that if you’re a professional sports person you’re happy all the time and it’s all glam,” he told The Irish News.
“But for an Irish fella to go over to Australia and live by himself or with a host family … There’s definitely a lot more downs than ups for the first two years. You’re making decent money but it’s not life-changing money and it’s not as good as everybody thinks it is.”