Conor McKenna says he fully intends to restart his Gaelic football career in the coming years.
The Essendon player is currently back in Ireland after the AFL season was shut down last month having only just returned to Australia after a bout of homesickness.
However, while the 24-year-old is in a minority of Irish players that have been signed by Aussie Rules clubs to establish himself in the AFL, he doesn’t plan on staying for the long haul.
"I will be home in the next few years," he said.
"Whether it's this year or next year I'm just not sure at the minute.
"I've always had the idea I'd like to return home to Eglish and if good enough for Tyrone. It's been five-and-a-half years now and I always think about the opportunity to come back.
"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.
"I want to play for Eglish first and see if I can kick the ball straight, then reassess from there,” he told BBC Sport NI.
A star for Tyrone at minor level, McKenna has never played for the county senior team and seems to feels he’s missing out, though he says he will return to Australia if and when the AFL season resumes later this year.
"Tyrone won the U21 All-Ireland [in 2015] and I probably would have been playing on that team.
"I lived with a host family who were lovely during the first year but it's not your own family.
"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."
