CONOR McKenna waltzed onto the premiership dais on Saturday draped in the Irish flag after becoming the first player from his country to win two AFL premierships, following a had-to-see-it-to-believe-it come-from-behind victory over Fremantle.

McKenna arrived at the MCG as one of four Irishmen to ever win a flag after Tadhg Kennelly first did it in 2005 with Sydney, followed by Geelong duo Zach Tuohy and Mark O’Connor in 2022, before the Lion won the ultimate prize in 2024. 

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The 30-year-old departed the ground on Saturday night with a second premiership medallion at the end of his fourth season at Brisbane. 

The Lions won a chase for his services in 2022 after McKenna walked away from Essendon to return home and spent two years back in Ireland. 

McKenna entered the Grand Final unsigned for 2027 - and has been contemplating his future in Australia beyond this season, despite the Lions offering him a one-year extension - but made it clear in the rooms he intends to return for another season.

"Yeah, hopefully [I’ll be here next year]. I still want to come back," McKenna told AFL.com.au after the seven-point win.

"I'm happy to come back, so we'll see what happens."

McKenna played an important role across the game on two-time All-Australian half-back Jordan Clark, but the game looked over when Fremantle led by a game-high margin of 17 points with four minutes of game time left. 

However, this is one of the greatest teams of not just the modern era but the history of the game, with a third consecutive premiership cementing that status. They aren’t done until it is over, as they demonstrated last Saturday, before doing again in a different way.

"It is just unbelievable. Probably not a lot went our way. We didn't play that well, and with three minutes to go we're down by 17 points, so it's just an unbelievable team," McKenna said.

"To win that at that stage is just crazy. I don't know how to describe it."

McKenna said Brisbane coach Chris Fagan prepared his players to deal with Wharfie Time when it was activated and wanted them to use it as an advantage, rather than putting up the white flag and conceding the contest.

"It's something we talked about. We talked that they were going to play it at some stage and once they played it, to use it as our advantage. And I think it worked like that. Once they played it, we knew this is our chance to sort of use Wharfie time for ourselves. I don't know, it must have worked. 

"We spoke about it like it's something obviously they're going to use, so when they play it, use it in your own head like it's for you and sort of get up and about. And it worked."

After becoming a premiership player in 2024, McKenna played only five senior games last year, including three times as the sub, around 13 games in the VFL. There wasn’t a spot for him. 

But this year, Fagan redeployed him as a pressure forward. With Charlie Cameron and Kai Lohmann offensive weapons, plus Cam Rayner and Zac Bailey playing hybrid roles, the County Tyrone product was there to play on attacking half-backs, while also hitting the scoreboard. 

McKenna did that again on Saturday, kicking another brilliant goal from the pocket at the Punt Road end of the MCG, following one in the preliminary final win over Hawthorn and in round 24, which resulted in $50,000 for goal of the year. 

"I can't kick an easy one," he joked. "I missed an easy one in the first quarter, so I was just happy to get one."

How does someone who grew up with an O’Neills ball at his feet and not a Sherrin have such innate ball control? 

"I think just playing soccer when I was younger it was just such a thing. And that's why for the last ten years I've been putting my case forward to play forward because I feel I have a different skill set that in the backline you just can't use," he said.

"So after ten years, I finally got my wish. I think I've proved this year I can play as a forward."

McKenna’s parents stood just metres away from us in the rooms after flying in from Ireland for the preliminary final. They weren’t going to miss the chance to see him play in these big games, especially if he decided he was ready to return home for good. 

Brisbane beat a handful of clubs to secure McKenna’s signature back in 2022 when he decided he was ready to return to the AFL. Essendon tried to re-sign him after he played 79 games in the red and black between 2015 and 2020. McKenna also toured Port Adelaide and St Kilda, before making the life changing decision to join the Lions.

"It's crazy. If you had said in ‘22 that I’d end playing three Grand Finals and be a two-time premiership player, I would have laughed at you," he said.

"But this team is just unbelievable. To come back and back again through adversity, it's just crazy, just unbelievable."

McKenna joined Brisbane on a one-year rookie contract via the pre-season supplemental selection. Other clubs offered more lucrative, longer deals, but a critical part of his decision-making process was when Lions list manager Dom Ambrogio travelled to Belfast to meet his family in July 2022. 

"It was important; that made my family and me actually get a feel for him and the club. It's only one person, but it does just make it a bit easier. So definitely had an impact on my decision," he said.

"Dom came over and just met my family and just made us know it was going to be a good move if I chose Brisbane; at that stage, I still hadn't chosen them, so it was just nice to meet him and the family and to look back now and see what we’ve done."

Premiership lists are built in many different ways, predominantly through the AFL Draft. This dynasty was also constructed via free agency and the trade period. You know the names. Plus a clever trip to Ireland.