Retired #45: Conor McKenna ☘️ - Returning to the AFL to play with Brisbane - 17/11

blitzer

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Tbh I doubt the club would've been cool with that.

They'll probably say they were/are though of course.

Kind of reminds me of when Naitanui was doing a dunking contest and Eagles weren't too thrilled about it.

I don't think any club wants their players risking their bodies in anything likely to cause injuries. But realistically its hard to stop athletes from engaging in a bit of fun social sports. That said this probably goes beyond that and I'd suspect they'd have a quiet word. On the flip side they let players play in the International Rules and things like that so maybe it would be OK.
 
Like I get it isn't great he asked permission and all, but Gaelic is non contact and it's at amateur level, and so the same risks are associated with playing basketball or soccer over summer surely?

Maybe I am naive
It's certainly not as risky as cricket and I know a couple who have 1 or 2 games over summer.
 
Apparently it was a relegation play-off. Edendork got relegated after Eglish beat them. So there was something at stake for his home town team, which is also the team his brother played for a while ago.

(I dunno if he still does but if you google “eglish mckenna” Emmett comes up, which is the same brother that got married the weekend of the Gold Coast game that Conor missed, I think?)

Personally don’t have a problem with him playing but the club should at least give him their blessing to do that sort of thing on a limited basis. It’s one of those things that you do to make yourself attractive to international talent and players generally.

I wouldn’t be too happy if he got injured but if that’s the cost of having an Irish kid that actually stays and plays (and plays well) then that’s just what it is.

Edit: Here’s an article about it from an Irish sporting website:
Aussie Rules star Conor McKenna answered an SOS call from his club to help save them from relegation.

The 23-year-old scored a second-half goal as Eglish overcame Edendork by 2-9 to 1-10 to maintain their ACFL Division 1 status in Tyrone.

The Essendon man found the back of the Edendork net in the 49th minute of yesterday’s senior relegation play-off.

The former Tyrone minor has made a big impression since joining the Bombers as an 18-year-old in 2014.

His fourth-place finish in the Crichton Medal count, behind only winner Zach Merrett, Dylan Shiel and Adam Saad, underlined his worth to Essendon last term.
 
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Like I get it isn't great he asked permission and all, but Gaelic is non contact and it's at amateur level, and so the same risks are associated with playing basketball or soccer over summer surely?

Maybe I am naive

It's a contact sport, just with a lot more restrictions.

Good on him. Can imagine the other team were pissed though! Curious how the registration worked.
 
It's a contact sport, just with a lot more restrictions.

Good on him. Can imagine the other team were pissed though! Curious how the registration worked.
Yes, would be interested about registration (maybe he lined it up when back home for the wedding.) Reminded me of English rugby league star Ellery Hanley who was brought in to play for Balmain in a GF years ago v Canterbury...whose enforcer, Terry Lamb, knocked him out at the start of the game. That might be why clubs don't like their stars to play in other leagues without permission...

 
Worsfold 'disappointed' McKenna put himself at risk in Gaelic game #AFL: Essendon coach John Worsfold says Conor McKenna took a big risk by playing Gaelic football in Ireland.... https://t.co/Jdv0uUf0AR

Hey, isn't offseason meant to be about fluff and hope?
i really, really don’t like that response from woosha. I don’t get what purpose it serves.

praise publicly, scold privately.
 

Atavistic

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"Out of everything you can do as a footballer in the off-season, going and playing non-contact football would be the best," Worsfold said.

Not sure how accurate this statement is. Surely chess or tiddly winks are just as good.
 
i really, really don’t like that response from woosha. I don’t get what purpose it serves.

praise publicly, scold privately.
He was even worse trying to explain why Hurley and Hooker were not in leadership group.
 
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"I won't speak to Conor until he gets back, and I will be disappointed that he played, and at least didn't feel like he could have rung and just checked."

"Out of everything you can do as a footballer in the off-season, going and playing non-contact football would be the best," Worsfold said.

"It's better than going snow skiing or playing basketball or playing rugby, something you don't do day in and day out."
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