A former Eglish-based Gaelic player has scored a tasty $50,000 prize for ‘Goal of the Year’ under the Australian Football League (AFL).
Conor McKenna moved his way through the GAA ranks playing for Eglish St Patrick’s and Co Tyrone.
As a county player here on Northern Irish soil, he won the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship for Tyrone in 2021.
He then made history in 2024 as the second player to win to win both national titles as he lifted the AFL Premiership cup playing for Brisbane.
Conor returned to the AFL in 2023 after spending three years back home in Ireland through the COVID pandemic. He now proudly plays for the Brisbane Lions.
According to the Brisbane Lions’ website Conor – who plays as a half-back – provides “plenty of spark out of the Lions defence and uses his skills both by hand and foot to great effect”.
Regarded as a “key player” for Brisbane the team say he “creates a headache for oppositions on both the offensive and defensive side of the contest”.
Playing against Collingwood, Conor forced an intercept before showcasing his Gaelic touch with a “miraculous” goal that secured him the ‘Goal of the Year’ honours – voted the overall winner by the AFL All Australian Panel.
As the winner of the 2026 Coles AFL Goal of the Year, McKenna receives $50,000 thanks to Coles.
The Irishman’s effort beat goals from Western Bulldogs’ Bailey Williams and Melbourne’s Kysaiah Pickett to earn him the Phil Manassa Medal.
Speaking after receiving the award, Conor credited his former club Eglish in County Tyrone for helping develop the skills that came into play during the extraordinary finish.
Speaking to Niall McCoy of RTÉ Sport, the star player said: “A bit of my Gaelic skills came in there. I have my club Eglish in County Tyrone to thank for that so back to my young days.”
He also joked that some of his Brisbane teammates had initially thought the goal was a fluke before he produced another similar effort in the Lions’ preliminary-final victory over Hawthorn.
“I did it again at the weekend so I guess it’s not really,” he said.
And he has already provided an entertaining answer about what he might do with his Goal of the Year winnings.
Asked about the $50,000 prize, Conor said his wife Amy might prefer the money to go towards the house. “If I get my way I’ll buy a horse probably, we’ll see how we go,” he joked.
For a player whose sporting journey began with Gaelic football in Eglish, his extraordinary AFL goal has now earned him recognition on one of Australian sport’s biggest stages.
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