AFLW 2024: Abbie McKay becomes first father-daughter pick to reach 50 games

Abbie McKay says her footy career has taken a “non-traditional” arc, but it was a classic case of second-year blues that forced the Carlton star back to the drawing board.

The 23-year-old midfielder has credited a gruelling training program during the lengthy Covid-induced 2020 off-season with turning around her fortunes after a season spent unable to crack the senior side.

McKay, the daughter of Carlton premiership defender Andrew McKay, will become the first father-daughter selection to play 50 AFLW games when the Blues host the Western Bulldogs at Ikon Park on Thursday night.

Her four-time All-Australian father said their family was extremely proud of how she had challenged herself to reach a higher level after a challenging second season, twice finishing runner-up in Carlton’s best and fairest over the last two years.

“It’s been really nice to watch. We’re really proud of how she’s gone about it. Abs came through and had a reasonable start and then a bit of a lull in her second year,” McKay said.

“Then she realised that she needed to get fit and do a few things that others weren’t, and since then she hasn’t looked back.

“She’s done a great job – it was certainly nice to see her running out in the navy blue jumper with five on the back a few years ago, and it’s still nice to see that now.”

Softly spoken Andrew McKay said he was a “duck on the water” when it came to watching the Blues – particularly on Saturday night as Abbie helped orchestrate a thrilling last-minute victory over Fremantle to snap a four-game losing streak.

“I like to show the exterior of nice and relaxed, but inside I might be a little bit tense,” he said.

“I just want the girls to do well, particularly Abs, and it’s always nice to get reward for effort – that comes in the way of winning, doesn’t it? They’ve been working hard, so it was nice for them to get a win under their belt in the last minute, it was great for them.

“I was a little tense, I’m a bit of a duck on the water at the footy – calm exterior and doing a lot of work under the water.”

Carlton women’s football boss Ash Naulty said he had seen a “massive shift” in how McKay had begun to contribute off the field after taking on shared vice-captaincy duties this season with Mimi Hill.

“(McKay) decided she wanted more input into leadership of the group. She’s an incredibly mature young person with great perspective, and now our playing group get to see that more with her as vice-captain as well,” Naulty said

McKay said she had felt benefits on the field from the added responsibility, making a blistering start to the season with a career-high 32 disposals in the round 1 loss to Hawthorn before 30 touches and a goal in a stirring win over Geelong.

She said she was back near full fitness after a broken toe and adductor injury had hampered her during the compressed part of the season.

“It’s nice to have that leadership role and be able to worry about other people a little bit more and not think about yourself too much,” McKay said.

“It can actually do a world of good when you’re out there. If you make a mistake you’ve got to move on to the next thing really quickly.

“People can come to me if they have problems, and I feel like I can do something about it, which is nice.”

McKay has also held a role coaching in Carlton’s academy, which has included directly mentoring her 18-year-old sister Sophie, who is eligible for December’s draft.

“It’s strange having her there, but it’s good – I can just tell her how it is. I don’t need to fluff around, I can just tell her ‘that was terrible’ or whatever it might be,” McKay said.

“We had similar draft years (balancing year 12 studies), but I was lucky though because they did the father-daughter rule a little bit differently – I knew I was going to get drafted, and even with what pick … if (Sophie) gets here, it’ll be great, because she loves the club and knows a lot of the girls through me.”

Andrew McKay, who was wary of putting pressure on Sophie or the Blues to select her, said it would be special for the AFLW to continue to allow father-daughter picks a generation from now when mother-daughter selections would also be part of the equation.

“Of course I’m biased, but I think it’s one of the last feel-good rules in the AFL, to be honest.

Everything else is driven towards equalisation, particularly in the men’s competition, and the women’s competition is heading down that track,” he said.

“I think it’s really special to be able to see your kids run out, potentially in the number that you run out and in the same jumper.

“I know there’s some rumblings in the men’s competition, and maybe the (eligibility) rules might tighten up a bit in the women’s competition over time … but it would be a real shame if it didn’t continue for eternity because I think it’s just a special part of the AFL.

“It would be really, really wonderful from our point of view to have both girls at the same club, but that’s yet to be seen and certainly no guarantees.”