Essendon star Conor McKenna says he will leave the Bombers within the next two years.
McKenna, 24, is back home in Ireland amid the coronavirus outbreak after having the best season of his AFL career with the Bombers in 2019.
The defender missed Essendon’s Round 1 win over Fremantle having just returned to Australia from Ireland after suffering homesickness. And he said he will quit the game in the near future.
"I will be home in the next few years," McKenna told BBC Sport NI.
"Whether it's this year or next year I'm just not sure at the minute.”
McKenna’s departure would be a blow for the Bombers, with the line-breaking half-back finishing fourth in last year’s best and fairest and getting better all the time after five seasons in the game.
"I didn't grow up dreaming of playing AFL, I'm very fortunate to have the opportunity at the minute, but I did grow up dreaming of playing for Tyrone, win Ulsters, win All-Irelands,” McKenna said.
"I want to play for Eglish first and see if I can kick the ball straight, then reassess from there.”
He said he always had it in his mind that he would return home at some point, admitting he had fought a constant battle with homesickness since arriving at Essendon via the 2014 rookie draft.
"I lived with a host family who were lovely during the first year but it's not your own family,” McKenna said.
"I didn't have any friends, I didn't know what to do and didn't know who to speak to.
"It's not a nice feeling. I got through it, but I still struggle with it. Six years on I'm still trying to deal with it which really shows how tough it is."