Harry McKay (footballer) explained

Harry McKay
Nickname:H, Big H, Feathers
Fullname:Harrison McKay
Birth Date:24 December 1997
Birth Place:Warragul, Victoria
Originalteam:Gippsland Power (TAC Cup)/Warragul Football Club
Draftpick:No. 10, 2015 national draft
Debutdate:Round 18, 2017
Debutstadium:the Gabba
Height:204cm
Weight:106kg
Position:Key Forward
Guernsey:10
Years1:2016–
Games Goals1:123 (242)
Statsend:round 17, 2024
Careerhighlights:

2021

2019

Harrison McKay (born 24 December 1997) is a professional Australian rules footballer playing for the Carlton Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). In 2021, McKay won the Coleman Medal, awarded to the season's leading goalkicker.

Career

A key forward, McKay played junior football at Warragul and state under-18s football with the Gippsland Power. He was drafted by Carlton with a first-round selection (No. 10 overall) in the 2015 national draft.[1] He missed much of the 2016 season—his first season in the professional system—with stress fractures in his back,[2] and he made his senior debut for the club in Round 18, 2017.[3]

McKay began to command a regular place in the Carlton forward line in 2018, and he was soon the club's primary spearhead. He won his first club leading goalkicker award in 2019 with 26 goals and was named forward pocket in that season's 22under22 team;[4] he then led the club's goalkicking again in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season with 21 goals. He had a breakout season in 2021, serving as a deep full-forward. He was among the strongest contested marks in the league. He kicked 58 goals for the season to win the Coleman Medal by a four-goal margin, which was both the most goals and first Coleman Medal by a Carlton player since 2009.

A natural left-foot kick, McKay's has gone through phases of both high and low goalkicking accuracy throughout this career. In 2021, he adopted a style of taking his set shots from the right side of the ground with a perpendicular run-up and snap kick, even from relatively narrow angles, while continuing to favour the conventional drop punt from the left side of the ground,[5] and won the Coleman Medal with 58.33; but his proficiency with the snap declined over subsequent years, culminating in a 2023 season tally of 29.29 from 77 attempts (across all kick types) which drew extensive negative coverage.[6] McKay significantly reduced his use of narrow angle snap shots from 2024.[7]

In Opening Round 2024, McKay kicked the match winner with a minute and a half to go to win the game for the Blues after trailing by 46 points against the Lions at the Gabba.

Family

McKay is the mirror image twin brother of fellow professional footballer Ben McKay, who plays as a key defender at and previously at . It was not until 2024, their ninth seasons in the league, that they played an AFL game against each other, often as a result of one of the two being suspended or withdrawn late with injury,[8] [9] leading to internet jokes that they were the same player running a fake-twin gambit.[10] The twins grew up in the Victorian town of Warragul and played local football for Warragul Football Club.[11]

Statistics

Statistics are correct to the start of Round 1 2024[12]

|-| scope="row" text-align:center | 2017| | 10 || 2 || 3 || 2 || 11 || 4 || 15 || 7 || 1 || 1.5 || 1.0 || 5.5 || 2.0 || 7.5 || 3.5 || 0.5|-| scope="row" text-align:center | 2018| | 10 || 13 || 21 || 11 || 103 || 35 || 138 || 70 || 23 || 1.6 || 0.9 || 7.9 || 2.7 || 10.6 || 5.4 || 1.8 |-| scope="row" text-align:center | 2019| | 10 || 20|| 26 || 30 || 161|| 46|| 207|| 125|| 32|| 1.3|| 1.5 || 8.05|| 2.3|| 10.35|| 6.25|| 1.7|-| scope="row" text-align:center | 2020| | 10 || 13 || 21 || 15 || 76 || 21 || 97 || 57 || 20 || 1.6 || 1.2 || 5.8 || 1.6 || 7.5 || 4.4 || 1.5 |-| scope="row" text-align:center | 2021| | 10 || 19|| bgcolor=CAE1FF | 58 || 33 || 154 || 31 || 185 || 113 || 27 || bgcolor=CAE1FF | 3.1 || 1.7 || 8.1 || 1.6 || 9.7 || 6.0 || 1.4|-| scope="row" text-align:center | 2022| | 10 || 19 || 45 || 31 || 169 || 48 || 217 || 114 || 25 || 2.4 || 1.6 || 8.9 || 2.5 || 11.4 || 6.0 || 1.3|-| scope="row" text-align:center | 2023| | 10 || 21 || 29 || 29 || 190 || 57 || 247 || 141 || 34 || 1.4 || 1.4 || 9.1 || 2.7 || 11.7 || 6.7 || 1.6|-| scope="row" text-align:center class="sortbottom" colspan=3 | Career| 107| 203| 151| 864| 242| 1106| 627| 162| 1.9| 1.4| 8.1| 2.3 | 10.3| 5.9| 1.5|}

Notes and References

  1. News: PICK 10: Harry McKay. 24 November 2015. CarltonFC.com.au. Bigpond. 26 July 2017.
  2. Web site: Season review: Harry McKay. 20 September 2016. 13 August 2021. Carlton Football Club. Danielle Balales.
  3. News: Carlton name Harry McKay to make debut v Brisbane Lions on Sunday. Cherny. Daniel. 21 July 2017. The Age. News Corp Australia. 26 July 2017.
  4. News: 2019 22under22 team unveiled. 29 August 2019. AFLPA. 29 August 2019.
  5. News: The Australian. 15 June 2021. AFL: Carlton spearhead Harry McKay says snapshot goalkicking is the new normal. 13 August 2021. Russell Gould.
  6. Web site: 'So glaringly off': Blues spearhead's brutally honest take amid goal kicking woes. Fox Sports. 30 March 2024. 31 May 2023. Catherine Healey.
  7. Web site: HOW HARRY MCKAY HAS GONE TO WORK TO FIX HIS ACCURACY WOES THIS OFF-SEASON. Lachlan Green. 30 March 2024. SEN.
  8. Web site: 'Thank god that's over': Blues coach's latest on forward after McKay friendly fire in win. 10 June 2024. 22 June 2024. Fox Sports. Jack Jovanovski.
  9. Web site: Will Harry ever meet Ben? The curious case of the McKay twins. 27 April 2022. 6 May 2022. Australian Football League.
  10. Web site: Blues' McKay fuels fire on social media. 30 April 2022. 6 May 2022. Zero Hanger.
  11. Web site: Harry and Ben McKay have talent spotters looking twice ahead of AFL national draft . 2024-03-21 . amp.theage.com.au.
  12. Web site: Harry McKay. AFL Tables. 5 April 2023.