Trent McKenzie is an Australian rules football

Australian rules football

Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...

er for the Gold Coast Football Club. He was recruited as one of twelve 17 years olds made available to Gold Coast under the AFL's

Australian Football League

The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...

 draft concessions.

Junior career

McKenzie played with the Western Jets

Western Jets

The Western Jets Football Club are an Australian rules football club who play in the U18 competition, the TAC Cup. The club have developmental squads in the U15 and 16 age groups, however much of the attention is towards its U18 team....

 during 2009 and also represented Vic Metro in the 2009 Under-18 National Championships. He was selected by the Gold Coast as one of twelve 17-year-olds the club could pre-list prior to the 2009 AFL Draft

2009 AFL Draft

The 2009 AFL Draft consists of four opportunities for player acquisitions during the 2009/10 Australian Football League off-season. These were the Trade Week , the National Draft , the Pre-Season Draft and the Rookie Draft .- Trades :In the lead up to the trade week many high profile players such as...

. He spent 2010 playing for the Gold Coast in the Victorian Football League

Victorian Football League

The Victorian Football League which evolved from the former Victorian Football Association , taking its new name as from the 1996 season, is the premier Australian rules football league in Victoria The Victorian Football League (VFL) which evolved from the former Victorian Football Association...

.

AFL career

McKenzie made his debut in round 2, 2011 in the Gold Coast Suns inaugural AFL match against Carlton

Carlton Football Club

The Carlton Football Club is a professional Australian rules football club based in Melbourne, Victoria. The club competes in the Australian Football League, and was one of the eight founding members of that competition in 1897...

 at The Gabba. In round 5, McKenzie was part of the first Gold Coast Suns victory over Port Adelaide

Port Adelaide Football Club

The Port Adelaide Football Club is an Australian rules football club based in Alberton, South Australia, which plays in the Australian Football League and the South Australian National Football League...

 at AAMI Stadium

AAMI Stadium

Football Park is an Australian rules football stadium located in West Lakes, a western suburb of Adelaide, South Australia...

. After the round 17 victory over Richmond in Cairns

Cairns, Queensland

Cairns is a regional city in Far North Queensland, Australia, founded 1876. The city was named after William Wellington Cairns, then-current Governor of Queensland. It was formed to serve miners heading for the Hodgkinson River goldfield, but experienced a decline when an easier route was...

, McKenzie was nominated for the 2011 AFL Rising Star

2011 AFL Rising Star

The AFL Rising Star award is given annually to a stand out young player in the Australian Football League. The 2011 Ron Evans Medal will be awarded to one of the 24 nominees. The 2011 award was won by Dyson Heppell of the Essendon Football Club....

.

His nickname "The Cannon" was attributed by the fact that he consistently scores goals from over 50m.