After making history upon arriving at Carlton as the AFLW's first father-daughter selection, midfielder Abbie McKay is enjoying being able to develop her craft this VFLW season.  

Following her impressive debut season in the AFLW, McKay is continuing to make a name for herself, having beingselected in the VFLW Round 8 Team of the Week for her 24 disposals in the Blues’ seven-point loss against Geelong.

For McKay, the VFLW presents an opportunity for her to develop individually, something she is grateful for in the infancy of her career. 

“I’m really enjoying having that time to develop,” McKay said.

“In the AFLW, it’s very hectic. I think in the VFLW, obviously we want to win but as an individual, it’s nice for me to be able to develop.

“I’ve learned lots of things from the AFLW so I’m happy to teach other people.”

McKay has had the opportunity to work with plenty of new players this season, as Carlton has fielded a new-look VFLW side.

The 18-year-old has embraced all the new faces at the Club and continued to bond with the AFLW players as well.

“It’s really good to have a new bunch of girls in,” McKay said.

“They’re awesome chicks and they’re all really good footballers. It’s been great.”

Before arriving at Carlton, McKay had a stellar 2018 season, playing a pivotal part in the Sandringham Dragons’ midfield and earning a Vic Metro call-up.

She says those experiences have been invaluable for her personal development.

“I think any sort of practice in any team is worthwhile and it all helps in your development overall,” she said.

The Blues will face the NT Thunder for the second time this season, looking to take the learnings from their thrilling contest which saw the team fall short by just seven points at La Trobe University.

In that Round 5 clash, McKay was named best-on-ground by VFLW coach Shannon McFerran after gathering 19 disposals.

This time around, Carlton will head up to TIO Stadium in Darwin, and the Blues' young gun is hoping to bring back a win.

“It’ll be a really good experience to go up there,” she said.

“The conditions will be a bit tougher but it’s really good just to get a feel for different conditions. 

“We’re playing the same team (as we played in Round 5) so it’ll be good to see how far we’ve progressed.”