CARLTON midfielder Abbie McKay has become the first AFLW player to follow in her father’s footsteps and captain the same club.
McKay has been appointed skipper after Kerryn Peterson was made inactive through pregnancy.
The 24-year-old McKay was the first father-daughter player signed in the AFLW, with dad Andrew having played 244 games for the club, captaining the Blues in the second half of 2003 following the mid-year retirement of Brett Ratten.
Younger sister Sophie has also just joined Carlton through last year’s Telstra AFLW Draft.
“So far, he’s just said I’ve got to captain 15 games to be able to beat where he was. So that’s kind of the goal so far,” McKay told reporters on Tuesday with a grin.
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“But no, he’s just said, ‘Be yourself, obviously got the position for a reason, so to stay true to [myself]’, and kind of like ‘Bucky’ (coach Mathew Buck) said, make sure there’s still focus on being a good player because that’s what’s important on game day.
“[Sophie is] absolutely thrilled, I think she was more excited than I was, to be honest. But that’s Soph, she’s a very enthusiastic person. She now knows I can tell her off, and she has to cop it on the chin.”
She played four games in her debut season of 2019, and wasn’t selected for a single match in the shortened seven-game 2020 season.
Carlton’s AFL leadership group (L-R): Harriet Cordner, Abbie McKay, Mimi Hill, Tara Bohanna. Picture: Carlton FC
Since then, McKay has finished second in the past three Carlton best and fairest counts.
“It’s honestly crazy to think about. When I first came to the club, I was a shy little girl, I didn’t know footy too well. I came to Carlton knowing Carlton as a club, but probably not as a football team,” McKay said.
“It also helps me with the empathetic side and understanding where a lot of the younger players are at.”
Abbie McKay is congratulated by teammates after kicking a goal during the match between Carlton and Geelong at Ikon Park in round three, 2024. Picture: AFL Photos
Coach Mathew Buck said Peterson will remain around the group for as long as possible, due to give birth to her first child close to round one.
“Abbie got voted in by her peers, and I couldn’t be more happy for her. She’s a resilient player, and that reflects in [that she’s] determined all the time. Probably the understated bit is how much she cares for her teammates, I think that shines through,” Buck said.
“On top of that, brilliant player out on the field as well, so heaps of endearing qualities that ‘Abs’ brings to the table, that I’m sure we’ll see throughout her captaincy.
“We’ve been so fortunate to have ‘Kez’ as a leader here for a long time, her impact – I’m sure Abbie can speak to it as well – has been massive on all of us, to be fair, and that’s going nowhere soon.
“She’s here today, she’s out on the training track, she’s always helping us. She’ll help some emerging leaders of our group to put some of her knowledge and experience through them, to help our younger leaders. She’ll continue to work with us, and I can’t wait to meet Kerryn’s baby.”
