WAFL career
Educated at Carine Senior High School and originally from Carine Junior Football Club, McKenna was Zoning (Australian rules football), zoned to in the West Australian Football League (WAFL), where he played 49 games in four seasons from 1985 to 1987 and in 1992, including the Tigers' 1987 premiership.Playing career
West Coast Eagles
McKenna was recruited by the West Coast Eagles for the 1988 VFL season, 1988 season with a pre-draft selection. He played for the Eagles from 1988 until 2000, notching up 267 games and booting 28 goals. He formed one of the most feared backlines in the Australian Football League, AFL, along with John Worsfold, Ashley McIntosh, Glen Jakovich and Michael Brennan (Australian rules footballer), Michael Brennan and was known for his cool demeanour and reliability. McKenna was also part of the club's 1992 AFL Grand Final, 1992 and 1994 AFL Grand Final, 1994 premiership sides. He won the John Worsfold Medal, Club Champion Award twice, once in 1989 and the other in 1999, finishing in the top three another five times. He was captain from 1998 until his retirement at the end of 2000. He kicked a memorable goal on the final kick of his career in Round 22 2000 which frenzied the crowd at Subiaco Oval. McKenna boasts two unusual on-field distinctions from his career: In 1994 AFL season, Round 20, 1994, he was the first player ever ordered from the ground under the blood rule, which had been introduced to the league that week. Then, in a match against in 1999 AFL season#Round 22, Round 22, 1999, for the first time since Essendon Football Club, Essendon's Jack Clarke (footballer, born 1933), Jack Clarke in 1958 VFL season, 1958, McKenna became the third captain in league history to call for a Interchange (Australian rules football)#Policing interchanges, headcount; however, the teams were even.Coaching career
Early career
After retiring, he coached in the West Australian Football League as senior coach of the Claremont Football Club with considerable success before moving to an assistant coaching role with the West Coast Eagles.Collingwood Football Club assistant coach (2003–2008)
McKenna joined Collingwood Football Club at the end of 2003 as an assistant coach under senior coach Michael Malthouse his former mentor. McKenna left the Collingwood Football Club at the end of the 2008 season.Gold Coast Suns senior coach (2011–2014)
In 2008, McKenna was appointed the inaugural senior coach of the newly founded Gold Coast Football Club, Gold Coast Suns Football Club. He oversaw their TAC Cup and VFL campaigns prior to their entrance in the AFL. In the 2011 AFL season, 2011 season, the Gold Coast Suns under McKenna in its inaugural season in the Australian Football League, AFL league, finished in last place on the ladder with three wins and nineteen losses for the List of VFL/AFL wooden spoons, wooden spoon. In the 2012 AFL season, 2012 season, the Gold Coast suns under McKenna finished in seventeenth position (second-last) on the ladder, yet again with three wins and nineteen losses. In the 2013 AFL season, 2013 season, the Gold Coast Suns under McKenna improved on-field performance when they finished fourteenth on the ladder with eight wins and fourteen losses. In the 2014 AFL season, 2014 season, Gold Coast Suns under McKenna finished in twelve place on the ladder with ten wins and twelve losses. But however after the Suns failed to make the finals in their first four years in the Australian Football League, AFL senior competition league, McKenna was sacked as senior coach of the Gold Coast Suns on 1 October 2014, at the end of the 2014 AFL season, 2014 season. McKenna was then replaced by Rodney Eade as Gold Coast Suns Football Club senior coach. McKenna coached Gold Coast Suns Football Club to a total of 88 games with 24 wins and 64 losses to a winning percentage of 27 percent.Essendon Football Club assistant coach (2015–2017)
On 9 November 2015, McKenna was appointed as an assistant coach in the position of line coach at under senior coach John Worsfold, who he previously played with as a former teammate at West Coast Eagles. McKenna left the Essendon Football Club at the end of the 2017 season.Statistics
Playing statistics
: , - , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" , 1988 VFL season, 1988 , style="text-align:center;", , 17 , , 18 , , 0 , , 3 , , 169 , , 156 , , 325 , , 73 , , 17 , , 0.0 , , 0.2 , , 9.4 , , 8.7 , , 18.1 , , 4.1 , , 0.9 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" , 1989 VFL season, 1989 , style="text-align:center;", , 17 , , 20 , , 1 , , 1 , , 184 , , 184 , , 368 , , 113 , , 26 , , 0.1 , , 0.1 , , 9.2 , , 9.2 , , 18.4 , , 5.7 , , 1.3 , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" , 1990 AFL season, 1990 , style="text-align:center;", , 17 , , 26 , , 4 , , 3 , , 252 , , 210 , , 462 , , 97 , , 52 , , 0.2 , , 0.1 , , 9.7 , , 8.1 , , 17.8 , , 3.7 , , 2.0 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" , 1991 AFL season, 1991 , style="text-align:center;", , 17 , , 26 , , 2 , , 6 , , 259 , , 210 , , 469 , , 80 , , 41 , , 0.1 , , 0.2 , , 10.0 , , 8.1 , , 18.0 , , 3.1 , , 1.6 , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" , style="text-align:center;background:#afe6ba;", 1992 AFL season, 1992† , style="text-align:center;", , 17 , , 12 , , 2 , , 2 , , 91 , , 95 , , 186 , , 37 , , 22 , , 0.2 , , 0.2 , , 7.6 , , 7.9 , , 15.5 , , 3.1 , , 1.8 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" , 1993 AFL season, 1993 , style="text-align:center;", , 17 , , 21 , , 1 , , 1 , , 199 , , 165 , , 364 , , 92 , , 39 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 9.5 , , 7.9 , , 17.3 , , 4.4 , , 1.9 , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" , style="text-align:center;background:#afe6ba;", 1994 AFL season, 1994† , style="text-align:center;", , 17 , , 25 , , 5 , , 4 , , 227 , , 202 , , 429 , , 103 , , 49 , , 0.2 , , 0.2 , , 9.1 , , 8.1 , , 17.2 , , 4.1 , , 2.0 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" , 1995 AFL season, 1995 , style="text-align:center;", , 17 , , 23 , , 5 , , 2 , , 155 , , 208 , , 363 , , 81 , , 44 , , 0.2 , , 0.1 , , 6.7 , , 9.0 , , 15.8 , , 3.5 , , 1.9 , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" , 1996 AFL season, 1996 , style="text-align:center;", , 17 , , 22 , , 5 , , 0 , , 204 , , 175 , , 379 , , 118 , , 58 , , 0.2 , , 0.0 , , 9.3 , , 8.0 , , 17.2 , , 5.4 , , 2.6 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" , 1997 AFL season, 1997 , style="text-align:center;", , 17 , , 20 , , 1 , , 0 , , 177 , , 145 , , 322 , , 89 , , 58 , , 0.1 , , 0.0 , , 8.9 , , 7.3 , , 16.1 , , 4.5 , , 2.9 , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" , 1998 AFL season, 1998 , style="text-align:center;", , 17 , , 22 , , 1 , , 1 , , 209 , , 161 , , 370 , , 82 , , 64 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 9.5 , , 7.3 , , 16.8 , , 3.7 , , 2.9 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" , 1999 AFL season, 1999 , style="text-align:center;", , 17 , , 23 , , 0 , , 1 , , 216 , , 175 , , 391 , , 113 , , 41 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 9.4 , , 7.6 , , 17.0 , , 4.9 , , 1.8 , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" , 2000 AFL season, 2000 , style="text-align:center;", , 17 , , 9 , , 1 , , 1 , , 56 , , 63 , , 119 , , 31 , , 12 , , 0.1 , , 0.1 , , 6.2 , , 7.0 , , 13.2 , , 3.4 , , 1.3 , - class="sortbottom" ! colspan=3, Career ! 267 ! 28 ! 25 ! 2398 ! 2149 ! 4547 ! 1109 ! 523 ! 0.1 ! 0.1 ! 9.0 ! 8.0 ! 17.0 ! 4.2 ! 2.0Coaching statistics
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