Role Irish Lion ready to make most of

Conor McKenna will gladly embrace the tag of “super sub” if it means he will have the necessary impact off the bench to help Brisbane win Saturday’s AFL grand final.

Having been a permanent fixture in the Lions team that fell agonisingly short of premiership glory last season, McKenna admits he has had a tougher 2024 campaign after suffering a hamstring injury in the pre-season.

It led to limited involvement in the early stages of the season proper, and then after returning to team and playing several matches in succession, the 28-year-old Irishman’s groins started to trouble him.

That resulted in McKenna being “managed” in round 19. He was then officially dropped, spending time in the VFL to recapture some form before returning to the Lions’ AFL side for the battle with Essendon on the final weekend of the regular season.

McKenna was in the top 22 that night at the Gabba but since then has been Brisbane’s sub for three successive finals matches.

It’s expected the former Essendon star will again have the role of sub in Saturday’s decider against Sydney at the MCG.

“I’d rather be playing (in the 22) but that’s my role at the moment,” McKenna said.

“If I’m selected to play this week, I’d love to play from the start but if not, I’ll be the sub again and come on and have an impact like I’ve had for the past three weeks.

“That’s all I can do. Obviously, you’d rather be playing from the start, but it’s not that easy in this team. When we’re going well, we don’t really change much.”

A silver lining of being the sub has been that McKenna, usually a defender, has been also used in the forward line.

Having been activated last Saturday as a replacement after Oscar McInerney succumbed to a dislocated shoulder, McKenna set up teammate Logan Morris for an easy goal with a delightful kick across his body from the forward pocket in the final quarter of Brisbane’s thrilling 10-point preliminary final win over Geelong at the MCG.

“I’ve talked to ‘Fages’ (Lions coach Chris Fagan) about playing forward this year, and you can do more stuff like that in the forward line,” he said.

“There’s less risk than doing it in defence, so it’s something I want to keep working on. It’s something I can have an impact with when I come on.

“Having me as an option to play anywhere on the field helps the team.”

The plight of McInerney, who will miss the grand final due to his shoulder injury, is also a reminder to McKenna to be grateful that he’s fit enough to play a role in the decider.

“It’s devastating, especially for himself,” McKenna said.

“He’s been such a big player for us, but that’s just football. That’s just sport, and the game we’re in. It’s ruthless.”