Conor McKenna’s achievement is “unbelieveable”says father Pat after AFL triumph

Twenty-four hours after becoming the first Ulster-born player to win an AFL Premiership, Conor McKenna took centre stage during the Brisbane Lions post-Grand Final celebrations.

Proudly wearing an Irish tricolour like a makeshift skirt, McKenna spent the morning fulfilling fans’ requests for selfies and autographs at the Lions spiritual home, Brunswick Street Oval, in Melbourne.

Thousands of Brisbane supporters partied with their heroes as the premiership cup was presented to the vast crowd of delirious fans.

After the 100,000-strong crowd had left the MCG yesterday evening, the Brisbane Lions players and support staff gathered in a circle in the middle of the vast Colosseum to sing their famous club song which is based on the French national anthem.

McKenna stood next to his teammates with the same Irish flag proudly draped across his shoulders. In the middle of the enormous circle was the premiership cup.

McKenna’s father Pat is probably the proudest member of the Benburb family knowing his AFL star son is now only the second Irishman after Tadhg Kennelly to hold both All-Ireland and AFL premiership winner’s medals.

“To come over to the other side of the world and to achieve that this year and to have a break in between his football and to come back with the team that’s just won the premiership, it’s unbelievable,” Pat said.

“To be fair, he had a great time at Essendon, but when COVID hit he got a bit disillusioned with it - I don’t think he was treated that well (by the media) and he sort of lost a bit of heart in it.

“Even when he came back here, he took the risk.

“There was contact to pick a team that he thought was going to be successful in the AFL and get to the final - and he’s done that.”

Most of the Brisbane premiership heroes celebrated long into the night at popular pub ‘The Osborne Rooftop and Bar’ in South Yarra, just a couple of miles from the MCG.

Some players hadn’t slept before meeting their fans this morning, and who could blame them after their epic win over the Sydney Swans.

Hoardes of Lions fans filled pubs and clubs around the city singing the club’s unofficial anthem ‘Take Me Home Country Road’ by American singer-songwriter John Denver.

After flying back to Brisbane with the Irish Flag still wrapped around his shoulders, McKenna admitted the experience of becoming one of only four Irish players to win an AFL Premiership still hasn’t sunk in.

“I’m sure many people wrote us off, commentators, journalists wrote us off, but it’s unbelievable that we’ve come back here and won,” he explained.

“It just speaks volumes to the club and the people they have, it’s actually unbelievable.

“I do believe we’re still getting better; we’ve got plenty of young players coming through, and some guys that were injured that are going to come back in next year.

“It’s going be a tough team to get a game in.”

McKenna joined Brisbane’s Mad Monday celebrations at an inner-city pub overnight. All of the players were dressed in an assortment of whacky outfits.

McKenna turned up dressed as a monk with the Irish flag wrapped tightly around his waist.

Darragh Joyce, who was a hurler for Kilkenny before making the jump to Oz attended the celebrations dressed as a priest with a hurling stick.