Patrick McKenna Biography

Patrick McKenna has suffered a setback with the young defender to be sidelined for up to two months with a serious hamstring injury.

He suffered the hamstring injury while playing for Casey in a VFL practice match against Box Hill and it was originally thought he may have been out for longer.

"We thought it was a pretty serious one, potentially requiring surgery, but he consulted the surgeon last night (Monday), who felt that conservative rehab was the way to go," Melbourne's elite performance manager David Misson said.

"He'll probably be six to eight weeks, I reckon."

Western Sydney defender Pat McKenna has found a new home after being traded to Melbourne.

McKenna, who failed to play a senior game in his two seasons at the Giants, heads to the Demons on a two-year contract, along with picks 51 and 69, in exchange for picks 57 and 59.

"Pat McKenna is a player that our recruiters have been following closely for the past two years," Melbourne football operations manager Josh Mahoney said.

"He is a good-decision maker who uses the ball well. His endurance is a strong point of his game and he is a versatile player that can play all parts of the ground. "

Just seven weeks ago, Patrick McKenna captained the Australian under-19s cricket side in a one-day international series in Sri Lanka.

Last Thursday night he became a professional AFL footballer after being drafted by Greater Western Sydney.

In one of the major shocks of the 2014 NAB AFL draft, the talented 18-year-old from Gisborne was taken with pick No.23 by the Giants.

McKenna did not play in the TAC Cup, instead playing for Gisborne in the Bendigo Football League where he kicked 45 goals in 18 senior matches after bagging a remarkable 16 majors in his only under 18s appearance this season.

"Pat's development in a very short period of time this year was just dramatic," Gisborne senior coach Rod Sharp said.

"He turned up two weeks before the season started with no pre-season and played one game in the under-18s, and as everyone knows he kicked 16 goals in that game, and then obviously came straight up into senior footy.

"His first half of the year was good, with maybe one or two outstanding games and then his second half of the year he just learnt so much out of six to eight games of footy. He put it all together in the last two months including our finals.

"He was just the complete mature footballer and one of the major players in our finals series."

Just two months after captaining his country in cricket, Patrick McKenna has found his way on to an AFL list after being snapped up by Greater Western Sydney with pick No.23 at the 2014 NAB AFL Draft.

"He played in the Bendigo League against men and played really well," Giants list manager Stephen Silvagni said.

"He hasn't really done a pre-season with anyone because he plays cricket, (but) we know he runs very well and he's an elite ball user."