Wikipedia

Guy McKenna

Guy Lindsay McKenna (born 11 May 1969) is a retired Australian rules football player and the former senior coach of the Gold Coast Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). McKenna played 267 games for the West Coast Eagles, including the 1992 and 1994 premiership wins. He captained the club between 1999 and 2000 AFL season.

Guy McKenna
McKenna in June 2017
Personal information
Full name Guy Lindsay McKenna
Nickname(s) Bluey
Date of birth (1969-05-11) 11 May 1969 (age 55)
Place of birth Perth, Western Australia
Original team(s) Carine JFC
Height 184 cm (6 ft 0 in)
Weight 88 kg (194 lb)
Position(s) Half-back flanker
Playing career1
Years Club Games (Goals)
1985–88; 1992 Claremont 50 (5)
1988–2000 West Coast 267 (28)
Total 317 (33)
Representative team honours
Years Team Games (Goals)
1987–1997 Western Australia 5 (1)
Coaching career3
Years Club Games (W–L–D)
2003 Claremont 21 (12–9–0)
2011–2014 Gold Coast 88 (24–64–0)
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 2000.
3 Coaching statistics correct as of 2014.
Career highlights
Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

WAFL career

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Educated at Carine Senior High School and originally from Carine Junior Football Club, McKenna was zoned to Claremont 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

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West Coast Eagles

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McKenna was recruited by the West Coast Eagles for the 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 AFL, along with John Worsfold, Ashley McIntosh, Glen Jakovich and Michael Brennan and was known for his cool demeanour and reliability. McKenna was also part of the club's 1992 and 1994 premiership sides.[1][2]

He won the Club Champion Award twice, once in 1989 and the other in 1999, finishing in the top three another five times.[3][4]

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.[5][6]

McKenna boasts two unusual on-field distinctions from his career: In 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.[7] Then, in a match against St Kilda in Round 22, 1999, for the first time since Essendon's Jack Clarke in 1958, McKenna became the third captain in league history to call for a headcount; however, the teams were even.[8][9][10]

Coaching career

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Early career

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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.[11]

Collingwood assistant coach (2003–2008)

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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.[12][13]

Gold Coast senior coach (2011–2014)

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In 2008, McKenna was appointed the inaugural senior coach of the newly founded Gold Coast Suns Football Club.[14][15] He oversaw their TAC Cup and VFL campaigns prior to their entrance in the AFL.[16] In the 2011 season, the Gold Coast Suns under McKenna in its inaugural season in the AFL league, finished in last place on the ladder with three wins and nineteen losses for the wooden spoon.[17] In the 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 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 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 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 season.[18][19][20][21][22] 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 assistant coach (2015–2017)

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On 9 November 2015, McKenna was appointed as an assistant coach in the position of line coach at Essendon under senior coach John Worsfold, who he previously played with as a former teammate at West Coast Eagles.[23][24][25][26] McKenna left the Essendon Football Club at the end of the 2017 season.[27][28]

Caulfield Grammarians senior coach (2023–)

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On 15 November 2022, McKenna was announced as the senior coach for the Caulfield Grammarians Football Club in the Victorian Amateur Football Association (VAFA) for the 2023 season.[29][30] The club finished last in Premier Division with only one victory, and was relegated to Premier B in 2024.[31][32] In 2024, the Grammarians finished eighth and narrowly missed out on relegation for a second straight season.[33][34]

Statistics

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Playing statistics

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[35]
Legend
  G  
 Goals
  K  
 Kicks
  D  
 Disposals 
  T  
 Tackles
  B  
 Behinds 
  H  
 Handballs 
  M  
 Marks
Season Team No. Games Totals Averages (per game)
G B K H D M T G B K H D M T
1988 West Coast 17 18 0 3 169 156 325 73 17 0.0 0.2 9.4 8.7 18.1 4.1 0.9
1989 West Coast 17 20 1 1 184 184 368 113 26 0.1 0.1 9.2 9.2 18.4 5.7 1.3
1990 West Coast 17 26 4 3 252 210 462 97 52 0.2 0.1 9.7 8.1 17.8 3.7 2.0
1991 West Coast 17 26 2 6 259 210 469 80 41 0.1 0.2 10.0 8.1 18.0 3.1 1.6
1992† West Coast 17 12 2 2 91 95 186 37 22 0.2 0.2 7.6 7.9 15.5 3.1 1.8
1993 West Coast 17 21 1 1 199 165 364 92 39 0.0 0.0 9.5 7.9 17.3 4.4 1.9
1994† West Coast 17 25 5 4 227 202 429 103 49 0.2 0.2 9.1 8.1 17.2 4.1 2.0
1995 West Coast 17 23 5 2 155 208 363 81 44 0.2 0.1 6.7 9.0 15.8 1.9
1996 West Coast 17 22 5 0 204 175 379 118 58 0.2 0.0 9.3 8.0 17.2 5.4 2.6
1997 West Coast 17 20 1 0 177 145 322 89 58 0.1 0.0 8.9 7.3 16.1 4.5 2.9
1998 West Coast 17 22 1 1 209 161 370 82 64 0.0 0.0 9.5 7.3 16.8 3.7 2.9
1999 West Coast 17 23 0 1 216 175 391 113 41 0.0 9.4 7.6 17.0 4.9 1.8
2000 West Coast 17 9 1 1 56 63 119 31 12 0.1 0.1 6.2 7.0 13.2 3.4 1.3
Career 267 28 25 2398 2149 4547 1109 523 0.1 0.1 9.0 8.0 17.0 4.2 2.0

Coaching statistics

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[36]
Legend
 W  Wins  L  Losses  D  Draws  W%  Winning percentage  LP  Ladder position  LT  League teams
Season Team Games W L D W % LP LT
2011 Gold Coast 22 3 19 0 13.6% 17 17
2012 Gold Coast 22 3 19 0 13.6% 17 18
2013 Gold Coast 22 8 14 0 36.4% 14 18
2014 Gold Coast 22 10 12 0 45.5% 12 18
Career totals 88 24 64 0 27.3%

References

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  1. ^ "GUY MCKENNA". Retrieved 16 April 2022.
  2. ^ "Guy McKenna". Retrieved 17 April 2022.
  3. ^ "GUY MCKENNA". Retrieved 16 April 2022.
  4. ^ "Guy McKenna". Retrieved 17 April 2022.
  5. ^ "GUY MCKENNA". Retrieved 16 April 2022.
  6. ^ "Guy McKenna". Retrieved 17 April 2022.
  7. ^ Richard Hinds (7 August 1994). "New rule grounds Eagle". The Sunday Age (Sport Liftout). Melbourne, VIC. p. 3.
  8. ^ "1999 Review". 1999. Archived from the original on 27 September 2011. Retrieved 10 September 2011.
  9. ^ "Bluey explains bizarre 'headcount' incident". The West Australian. 18 September 2020. Retrieved 25 September 2021.
  10. ^ "GUY MCKENNA". Retrieved 16 April 2022.
  11. ^ "McKenna joins Shark Park as senior coach". 14 November 2017. Retrieved 15 February 2022.
  12. ^ "McKenna accepts GC17 role". 13 August 2008. Retrieved 15 February 2022.
  13. ^ "GUY MCKENNA". Retrieved 17 April 2022.
  14. ^ "Guy McKenna named Gold Coast AFL coach". 13 August 2008. Retrieved 16 April 2022.
  15. ^ "McKenna accepts GC17 role". 13 August 2008. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
  16. ^ "Meet the GC SUNS". 2 April 2011. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
  17. ^ "Life Journeys 2011: Guy McKenna". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. ABC News. 5 December 2011. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
  18. ^ Davis, Greg (1 October 2014). "Gold Coast sacks Guy McKenna as speculation mounts club will make play for Essendon's Mark Thompson". Retrieved 18 November 2024.
  19. ^ "Guy McKenna won't coach Gold Coast Suns in 2015". The Age. 1 October 2014. Retrieved 18 November 2024.
  20. ^ "Gold Coast Suns sack coach Guy McKenna after four years at helm of AFL expansion club". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. ABC News. 1 October 2014. Retrieved 16 April 2022.
  21. ^ "Gold Coast sacks coach Guy McKenna". 1 October 2014. Retrieved 16 April 2022.
  22. ^ Lutz, Tom (30 September 2014). "Gold Coast Suns sack Guy McKenna – and may pursue Essendon's Mark Thompson". The Guardian. Retrieved 18 November 2024.
  23. ^ "McKenna appointed Line Coach". Essendon Football Club. 9 November 2015. Retrieved 9 November 2015.
  24. ^ "Guy McKenna joins John Worsfold on Essendon coaching staff". 9 November 2015. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
  25. ^ "Guy McKenna joins John Worsfold at Essendon". ABC News. 9 November 2015. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
  26. ^ "Guy McKenna joins Essendon as John Worsfold's assistant". 9 November 2015. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
  27. ^ "Guy McKenna leaves Essendon to take up role with Cricket Victoria". 19 September 2017. Retrieved 8 February 2022.
  28. ^ "Essendon assistant coach Guy McKenna joins Cricket Victoria in unusual code swap". 19 September 2017. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
  29. ^ Pignataro, Joe (15 November 2022). "A new Guy in the Fields of William Buck Premier". Victorian Amateur Football Association. Archived from the original on 10 December 2024. Retrieved 10 December 2024.
  30. ^ Geleit, Lachlan (15 November 2022). "Premier VAFA club signs former AFL coach ahead of 2023 season". SEN. Archived from the original on 10 December 2024. Retrieved 10 December 2024.
  31. ^ Miller, Susan (7 December 2023). "2024 Premier B Men's Fixture". Victorian Amateur Football Association. Archived from the original on 18 March 2024.
  32. ^ "Ladder for 2023 William Buck Premier Men's". GameDay. VAFA Results Archive. Archived from the original on 26 May 2024. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
  33. ^ Grindlay, Paddy (3 September 2024). "Premier B relegation race reaches conclusion". Victorian Amateur Football Association. Archived from the original on 19 September 2024. Retrieved 10 December 2024.
  34. ^ "2024 VAFA Men's Premiership Season - Premier B". Australian Football. Archived from the original on 8 December 2024. Retrieved 8 December 2024.
  35. ^ Guy McKenna's player profile at AFL Tables
  36. ^ Guy McKenna's coaching profile at AFL Tables
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