IT’S YEAR five for the No.5, but it’s her first year taking on a leadership role. 

Abbie McKay arrived at Carlton through the 2018 AFLW Draft as the Club’s - and the competition's - first-ever father-daughter selection, and since then, she's learnt a fair few lessons about being a footballer. 

McKay had a good understanding of the ins and outs of AFL when landing at IKON Park, but has definitely followed a journey of self-discovery as she has come into her own as a player.

Now voted in as a part of the new-look leadership group by her peers, McKay was shocked but honoured when she was called into the office of AFLW Senior Coach Mathew Buck to be offered the position. 

“‘Bucky’ asked if I was happy to be part of it and I said ‘of course’,” McKay said.  

“It was an honour and I was pretty shocked, to be honest, to get put into that position, but I’m just going to be myself – that’s how I got into the role anyway.” 

The no-nonsense 22-year-old has found her feet as a footballer and person over her time at IKON Park, leading to her second-placed finish in Carlton's AFLW Best and Fairest count last year. 

McKay was also selected in the AFLPA 22under22 team for season seven as well as the ‘Most Improved Player’ in the AFLW Coles Fan Awards – a nod to the effort and time she has poured into her craft, particularly over the two 2022 seasons. 

It was no wonder her teammates chose her to lead by example, with McKay consistently driving growth and high-performance standards at Carlton. 

Taking her new role to the pre-season camp in Warrnambool, the midfielder hoped to help facilitate connection and a hunger for hard work amongst the group. 

“Most of the activities are about driving high-performance habits and bringing us together as a group,” she said. 

“There’s a bit of leadership chat, we’re definitely a team that are all striving to be leaders – we don’t want to rely on the leadership team to run everything. 

“We’re just trying to get to know each other on another level – we’re not just footballers, all of us have a life outside of football and we all come from different backgrounds and have different experiences.” 

With a brand new coaching group at the helm as well a host of new players, there have been a lot of team-building efforts going on behind the scenes – most of all, at pre-season camp. 

The energy is at an all-time high according to McKay, with the group preparing to compete when the season rolls around in August.

“[The draftees] have all come in with so much confidence on and off the field,” she said. 

“They’re all so talented on the field, they’re the best cohort yet – their skills are so good and they know how to read the ball and it’s the best I’ve seen since I started.

“‘Bucky’ has brought new energy to the Club, and with the new girls, everyone has brought so much good energy and every coach is brand new. We’re getting to know each other from scratch but it’s been great: everyone can be themselves and everyone loves each other for themselves.”

Referring specifically to Head of Development Tom Couch, who will also be the team's midfield coach, McKay appreciates his footy-focused mentality, often bringing the team back to earth when it comes to their training standards and intent behind each session.

“‘Couchy’ is just go go go – he just wants to talk about footy the whole time which is really good to have around the Club,” she said. 

“Some of us might get distracted about what’s going on in a different room but he’ll bring us all back. It goes a long way – the next training I know what to do rather than going through the motions.” 

Hard work isn't a novel concept to McKay, who had a wake-up call following the 2020 season - where the-then 19-year-old failed to play a game - to push herself to a new level.

She's finding purpose outside of football too, now splitting her time between IKON Park as well as 3AW on AFL match days: for McKay, it's an ideal balance which she's hoping to continue.

“Hard work beats talent. I think I came in not really knowing how to work that hard, probably came in with a bit more natural talent and didn’t know the work ethic required to get a game and hold your position in the team,” she said. 

“I probably learnt how to work hard and what works for me in terms of working hard . . . it pays off in the end. 

“I come into the Club and I’m on this side of the camera, so it’s interesting to see the other side [at 3AW]: I’ve been doing a little bit of producing for them as well and I’m learning lots.

“It’s not something I initially thought I would ever get into but it’s been very enjoyable. It’s the best of both worlds, something outside of football but still involved with football.”