THE significance of the occasion wasn’t lost on Abbie McKay. And her dad will be in her corner every step of the way.
However, the AFLW’s inaugural father-daughter recruit is intent on becoming a consistent footballer in her own right.
After “months of talk” in the build-up, the 17-year-old McKay followed in her dad Andrew’s footsteps when she was drafted to Carlton with pick No.16.
With the two McKays joining Rafael Epstein on the ABC’s Drive program, Abbie said to officially call herself a Carlton player was an “awesome” feeling.
“It’s so nice for it to finally be official. There’s been a lot of talk about it over the past couple of months,” Abbie said.
“The idea [of pulling on the same jumper] is so cool.
“In the VFL, I obviously pulled on the navy blue. But to now be able to play on the big stage, it’s so cool.”
After over two decades involved at the Club as a player and administrator, Andrew will now take on a different role at Carlton — a father to a new Blue.
The former club captain said he was delighted Abbie would be pulling on the navy blue in 2019 and beyond.
“Being a father, you’re more proud of the person who has actually achieved the feat in the first place. I’ll take the ‘more proud’ mantle,” Andrew said.
“It’s another step in the evolution of women’s football… Why wouldn’t you want to get involved?
“Five or six years ago, you never thought there would be a father-daughter playing football. In time, there’ll be a mother-son selection and a mother-daughter selection.”
With Andrew forming part of Carlton’s pitch to join the AFLW, Abbie was present in a club guernsey on the MCG when the competition was launched.
Andrew and Abbie McKay pictured at the AFLW launch in June, 2016. (Photo: AFL Media)
Now heading into AFLW 3.0, Abbie said she was hoping to enjoy similar success to her dad - even if they don’t have the same playing style on-field.
“I’ve seen a few videos of him playing. We play in different positions, so it prevents us from playing similarly,” Abbie said.
“We’re both hard at the ball, that’s one thing he definitely was.”
Her dad was quick to interject: “She’s much more skilful than I was, though!”
Andrew said the history-making selection continued to reflect a changing of the guard in the football landscape.
“You hear of players you played with whose wives are pregnant: when it’s a boy, everyone says ‘fantastic, the next father-son’," he said.
“If it’s a girl, it’s a ‘congratulations’, but they won’t play footy. Certainly that’s changed now.
“Guys I played with that are older who have had daughters didn’t quite have that chance. The window wasn’t open, but now it is. It’s a great opportunity for them.”
AFLW senior coach Daniel Harford was quick to remind supporters after Tuesday’s draft that Abbie was very much selected for what she can bring to the table.
For now, Abbie is solely focused on forging her own reputation: hopefully, starting from Round 1.
“Dad only played for a few years when I was younger, I can’t really remember much of that,” Abbie said.
Visit Carlton's AFLW hub for more draft content
“Him working at Carlton, that’s been his job and I haven’t seen that as anything else. Playing and supporting the boys and now the women’s has been the main thing going on.
“At this point in time, my main goal is just to get a game. If all goes well, I hope to play it for many years.”
