From McKenna to McKaigue: 10 Ulster GAA stars who have tried their hand at Aussie Rules Football
This weekend, former Tyrone star Conor McKenna could become just the second Irishman after Tadgh Kennelly to win a senior All-Ireland title and an AFL Premiership.
The Eglish native resumed his AFL career with Brisbane after helping Tyrone win a fourth All-Ireland in 2021.
The Lions lost out to Collingwood in a classic Grand Final last year, but Brisbane will be hoping to go one better in Saturday’s decider against Sydney.
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McKenna still has one more year to run on his current deal with the Lions and he could be joined in the AFL in 2025 by three more Ulster players, including another Tyrone man.
Derry’s Eoin McEvoy is set to take part in an AFL Combine in Australia next weekend while Fermanagh Ultan Kelm and Tyrone’s Eoin McElholm remain on the radar of the Fremantle Dockers.
Kelm was set to make the switch in 2021, but he suffered a hip injury and the Dockers delayed bringing him to Australia while Covid restrictions prevented the Erne Gaels clubman moving the previous year.
Tyrone U20 star McElhom recently returned from Australia and, like Kelm is awaiting news of a potential contract.
A host of Tyrone players have been on the verge of signing AFL deals in the past, like Sean Cavanagh and Cathal McShane while Kyle Coney put pen to paper with the Swans in 2008, but opted to remain in Ireland.
Not all GAA players have had gone to Australia have had successful careers either and several Ulster players have had short stints in the AFL. Here are 10 Ulster players to have made the move Down Under. . .
1. Marty Clarke (Down and Collingwood)
One of the most successful Irish players to have featured in the AFL, Marty Clarke made 73 appearances for Collingwood in the noughties.
After winning an All-Ireland Minor title with Down in 2005, Clarke signed for Collingwood the following year.
He announced his retirement from the AFL in 2009 and returned home to play Gaelic Football and was awarded an All Star in 2010 after Down were edged out by Cork in the All-Ireland SFC final.
He is currently part of Conor Laverty’s management team with the Mournemen winning this season’s Tailteann Cup.
2. Conor McKenna (Tyrone, Essendon Bombers and Brisbane Lions)
The aforementioned Conor McKenna is in his second stint in the AFL after previously playing 79 games for Essendon before returning home to Tyrone ahead of the 2021 campaign.
After winning the Sam Maguire with the Red Hands, McKenna resumed his AFL career with Brisbane in 2023 and helped the Lions reach the Grand Final last season.
They lost out to Collingwood, but they’ll be hoping to go one better this weekend against Sydney. The Eglish native still has one more year to run in his contract and new Tyrone boss Malachy O’Rourke will be hoping he makes a return to the GAA in 2026.
3. Chrissy McKaigue (Derry and Sydney Swans)
Chrissy McKaigue has been a mainstay of the Derry team over well over a decade now, but his career might have been very different if things had worked out for him in Australia.
He was signed on a two-year rookie contract by Sydney back in 2009 when he was 20 years old.
However, the was released by the Swans in 2011 when his contract expired and he would go on to captain Derry to their first Ulster SFC title in 24 years in 2022. He is also a dual star for his club side Slaughtneil and is has also coached Ardboe under Gavin Devlin for the last two seasons.
4. Callum Brown (Derry and Greater Western Sydney Giants)
Former Derry underage star Callum Brown enjoyed a breakout season with the Giants in 2024.
The Limavady native made headlines in Australia and back home when he kicked five goals against defending champions Collingwood in the opening game of the season.
However, an early-season suspension meant that Brown struggled to regain his starting place for the rest of the season with his gametime limited to a handful of cameo appearances.
Brown has previously spoken of his desire to return to Ireland to line out for Derry, but, like Conor McKenna, his current deal doesn’t expire until the end of 2025.
5. Niall McKeever (Antrim and Brisbane Lions)
Antrim’s last appearance in an Ulster SFC final was back in 2009 when Niall McKeever was an up-and-coming midfielder for Liam Bradley’s men.
The 6”6 Portglenone native was an obvious target for AFL scouts and he signed with the Lions in 2010.
He would go on to make 22 appearances for Brisbane before returning home. Unfortunately for McKeever and the Saffrons, a luckless run of injuries hindered his second Antrim career, although he was instrumental for his club as they won the Antrim Intermediate Championship in 2014 before establishing themselves as a force at senior level.
6 Kevin Dyas (Armagh and Collingwood)
Kevin Dyas played against Marty Clarke in the 2005 Ulster MFC final with the Orchard County winning the provincial Championship while Down ended the season as All-Ireland champions.
The Dromintee clubman made his senior debut for the Orchard County in 2007 before following Clarke to Collingwood.
However, a serious hamstring injury ruled him out of action for the 2008 campaign and a recurrence of the injury also sidelined him in 2009, after which he returned home.
Much like Niall McKeever, he didn’t enjoy much luck with injury and he had to have surgery to remove the lateral meniscus from his right knee in 2015, although he did manage to win a Dublin championship in 2018 with Kilmacud Crokes.
7 Conor Glass (Derry and Hawthorn)
While some players have struggled to make an impact when returning to the GAA after a stint in Australia, the same cannot be said for Conor Glass.
Hawthorn had been tracking the Maghera native since he was 15 and he signed as an international B rookie with the club in 2015 after winning three county and provincial titles with Glen as well as a Hogan Cup with St Pat’s Maghera and an Ulster Minor title with Derry.
He made 21 appearances for Hawthorn before making the decision to return to Derry during the Covid pandemic.
He has since won an All-Ireland club title with Watty Graham’s and lifted the Anglo Celt and the Division One title as Derry skipper last season. As one of the most talented midfielders in Gaelic Football, he remains at the forefront of Derry’s pursuit of a second senior All-Ireland title.
8 Anton Tohill (Derry and Collingwood)
Son of Derry legend Anthony, who also had a spell in Australia with Melbourne Demons in the early 90s, Anton Tohill has drafted by Collingwood in 2017.
He impressed during a combine in Dublin and signed an international rookie contract later that year.
However, a series of injuries meant the majority of his appearances were in the Victorian Football League (VFL) - a second-tier competition below the AFL.
He returned to Ireland in 2021 despite being offered a one-year extension having made just one senior appearance for Collingwood. He was part of the extended Derry senior squad in 2022, but he wasn’t part of Mickey Harte’s Championship squad this season.
9 Karl Gallagher (Monaghan and Adelaide Crows)
Ulster’s newest AFL recruit has yet to make a senior appearance for Adelaide Crows, but Karl Gallagher has been impressing for the club’s reserve team in his first season Down Under.
Adelaide had been keen on signing the Monaghan and Emyvale star as far back as 2019 and the Covid pandemic delayed his move.
In the meantime, he went on to establish himself as a key member of the Farney team and it is perhaps no coincidence that Monaghan lost their Division One status after 10 seasons when Gallagher wasn’t available this year.
10 Ross McQuillan (Armagh and Essendon Bombers)
According to his bio on Essendon’s homepage, Ross McQuillan was signed by the Bombers after he “turned heads” with his pace in the 2019 AFL Europe Combine, clocking the fastest time of 2.77 seconds in the 20-metre sprint.
However, the Covid pandemic meant the cancellation of the reserve competition during his stint with Melbourne outfit - a crucial pathway for budding AFL prospects to learn their trade.
McQuillan returned home from Australia after two years in 2021 and helped his native Cullyhanna win Armagh, Ulster and All-Ireland Intermediate club titles last season while he was also part of Armagh’s All-Ireland winning squad in 2024.
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