She hasn’t looked back since realising that she needed to be in shape and try certain things that other people weren’t doing.
“She has done a fantastic job; it was enjoyable to watch her run out a few years ago in the navy blue jumper with the number five on the back, and it is still enjoyable to see that today.”
Speaking softly, Andrew McKay claimed that he was a “duck on the water” when it came to Blues games, especially on Saturday night when Abbie helped lead the team to an exciting victory over Fremantle in the last minutes to end a four-game losing skid.
“I like to appear nice and laid back on the outside, but I might be a little tense on the inside,” he stated.
“All I want is for the girls to succeed, especially Abs. It’s always good to be rewarded for hard work, but doesn’t that get in the way of winning? Since they had been putting in a lot of effort, it was wonderful for them to win at the last minute.
“I was a little tense; I’m like a duck on the water at the footy—calm on the outside and working hard underneath.”
Ash Naulty, the manager of Carlton women’s football, claimed to have witnessed a “massive shift” in McKay’s ability to contribute off the pitch when she and Mimi Hill shared vice-captaincy responsibilities this season.
McKay made the decision that she wanted more say in how the group was run. She is a very mature young woman with excellent perspective, and her role as vice-captain allows our playing group to witness that more,” Naulty stated.
With a career-high 32 disposals in the round one defeat to Hawthorn and 30 touches and a goal in the thrilling victory over Geelong, McKay claimed she had benefited on the pitch from the increased responsibilities.
After being hindered throughout the shortened portion of the season by a fractured toe and an adductor injury, she claimed to be back to nearly full fitness.
Having that leadership position allows you to focus more on other people and less on yourself, which is good, McKay added.
When you’re out there, it can truly do a tonne of good. You must immediately move on to the next thing if you make a mistake.
“I feel like I can do something about it, which is nice, and people can come to me if they have problems.”
In her capacity as a coach at Carlton’s academy, McKay has also had the responsibility of closely guiding her sister Sophie, who is eighteen years old and eligible for the draft in December.
“Having her around is odd, but it’s good because I can tell her the truth. “I don’t have to be pretentious; I can just tell her that it was awful,” McKay remarked.
We had comparable draft years (juggling year 12 coursework), but I was fortunate that they applied the father-daughter rule somewhat differently. I knew I would be draughted regardless of the pick, and it would be fantastic if Sophie arrived because she loves the club and knows many of the girls through me.
It would be unique for the AFLW to continue to permit father-daughter selections in a generation when mother-daughter selections would also be taken into consideration, according to Andrew McKay, who was cautious about placing pressure on Sophie or the Blues to choose her.
To be honest, I believe it to be one of the AFL’s final feel-good policies, but of course I’m biassed.
Equalisation is the goal of everything else, especially in the men’s competition, and the women’s competition is moving in that direction,” he stated.
Being able to watch your children run out—possibly in the same jumper that you do—is something I think is quite unique.
Perhaps the eligibility requirements for the women’s competition will get more stringent over time, and I am aware that there are some rumblings in the men’s competition. But since I believe it to be a unique aspect of the AFL, it would be a great shame if it didn’t go on forever.
“From our perspective, having both girls at the same club would be absolutely fantastic, but that hasn’t happened yet and there are no assurances.”
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