I’ll have to try and find the articles about McKenna again as I can’t find them from 2013/2014 with a quick search on the website, but I remember them talking about wanting to play McKenna off the HBF when he arrived and he said “no”.
I think this concept of “hiding” players in the forward line is one that was thought of more in decades gone when forwards would simply move where they needed to to get the ball. If a player couldn’t keep up with their opponent, they could not play in the backline but if they were forward, they didn’t have to chase anyone (they were to be chased themselves). This concept is completely archaic now. Forward pressure and chasing opponents is what wins games.
Granted, when McKenna first started with us, we weren’t seeing much of the ball in the forward-line anyway. It wasn’t exactly hard to “hide” any of our players at that time.
Well I’m sure he didn’t “decide”, but I remember the reading the same story. He had played as a forward in Gaelic so thought that would be his best position and wanted to play there. So they let him play there.
It’s more likely a media piece, in my opinion.
Clubs don’t let 18 year old rookies dictate where they play. They may try them out in lots of positions over the course of their career - but they don’t just let a kid dictate where he’ll play. If he played forward (and he did in trials, and then for about 3 games) it was to try him out there, because they felt he had potential (the 5 goals he kicked in trials). Turns out he has even greater potential elsewhere, and that’s where he’ll play, because that’s where they need him.
Definitely my memory that McKenna was fixed on being a forward as was in Gaelic football. It was only after a year in the sport that they could convince him to try defence.
The way it was spoken about was more along the lines of him wanting to try a harder position in order to learn as much as he could about the game, rather than him demanding to play one position or else. He did a fair stint there before going back.
Anthony Wilson. 26yo indigenous lad that was on the Crows list briefly and should still be on a list. One of the quickest players I’ve seen and the crowd are often left in awe when he gets goal side of an opponent running towards goal
Spoils and chases very well. Good tackler also. Doesn’t take huge numbers of marks due to size but can mark.
Doesn’t get huge stats but only needs 8 or 9 touches to impact the game.