Ben McKay (footballer)
| Ben McKay | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Personal information | |||
| Full name | Ben McKay | ||
| Date of birth | 24 December 1997 | ||
| Place of birth | Torquay | ||
| Original team(s) | Gippsland Power (TAC Cup)/Warragul | ||
| Draft | No. 21, 2015 national draft | ||
| Debut | Round 23, 2017, North Melbourne vs. Brisbane Lions, at the Gabba | ||
| Height | 202 cm (6 ft 8 in) | ||
| Weight | 104 kg (229 lb) | ||
| Position(s) | Defender | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Essendon | ||
| Number | 32 | ||
| Playing career1 | |||
| Years | Club | Games (Goals) | |
| 2016–2023 | North Melbourne | 71 (1) | |
| 2024– | Essendon | 9(0) | |
| Total | 84(1) | ||
|
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of round 4, 2024. | |||
| Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com | |||
Ben McKay (born 24 December 1997) is a professional Australian rules footballer playing for the Essendon Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). He was initially drafted to the North Melbourne Football Club.
Early life[edit]
McKay grew up in the Victorian town of Warragul in Gippsland. He played local football for Warragul Football Club.[1]
He attended school at St Paul’s Anglican Grammar.[2]
Growing up he supported Essendon, the club he would later end up playing for.
AFL career[edit]
He was drafted by North Melbourne with their first selection and twenty-first overall in the 2015 national draft.[3] He made his debut in the fifty-one point win against the Brisbane Lions at the Gabba in round twenty-three of the 2017 season.[4] In February 2019, Ben signed a two-year contract extension keeping him at the Kangaroos until at least the end of 2021.[5]
Taking time to develop, Ben McKay found consistency at AFL level, playing 11 games in the backline in the 2020 season. A great contested mark and busy player under pressure, McKay continued his form into 2021.
McKay moved to Essendon as a restricted free agent in October 2023.[6]
Family[edit]
He is the identical twin brother of Carlton's Harry McKay.[7] As of 2023, the two are yet to play an AFL game against each other despite seven years in the league, often as a result of one of the two being suspended or withdrawn late with injury[8] – leading to internet jokes that they are the same player running a fake twin gambit.[9] Ben (and Harry) are also cousins with former Port Adelaide and North Melbourne player, Stuart Cochrane. Stuart’s mothers maiden name is McKay.
Statistics[edit]
- Statistics are correct to Round 24, 2023[10]
G
|
Goals | K
|
Kicks | D
|
Disposals | T
|
Tackles |
B
|
Behinds | H
|
Handballs | M
|
Marks |
| Season | Team | No. | Games | Totals | Averages (per game) | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | B | K | H | D | M | T | G | B | K | H | D | M | T | ||||
| 2017 | North Melbourne | 23 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 9 | 1 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2.0 | 7.0 | 9.0 | 1.0 | 3.0 |
| 2018 | North Melbourne | 23 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2019 | North Melbourne | 23 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 11 | 10 | 21 | 10 | 4 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 3.7 | 3.3 | 7.0 | 3.3 | 1.3 |
| 2020[a] | North Melbourne | 23 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 43 | 59 | 102 | 36 | 18 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 3.9 | 5.4 | 9.3 | 3.3 | 1.6 |
| 2021 | North Melbourne | 23 | 22 | 0 | 0 | 99 | 111 | 210 | 95 | 31 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 4.6 | 5.9 | 10.5 | 5.9 | 1.5 |
| 2022 | North Melbourne | 23 | 15 | 1 | 0 | 92 | 47 | 139 | 82 | 18 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 3.9 | 5.4 | 9.3 | 3.3 | 1.6 |
| 2023 | North Melbourne | 23 | 19 | 0 | 0 | 146 | 86 | 232 | 113 | 12 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 4.6 | 5.9 | 10.5 | 5.9 | 1.5 |
| Career | 71 | 1 | 1 | 393 | 320 | 713 | 337 | 89 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 4.0 | 5.4 | 9.4 | 3.5 | 1.6 | ||
Notes[edit]
- ^ The 2020 season was played with 17 home-and-away matches per team (down from 22) and 16-minute quarters with time on (down from 20-minute quarters with time on) due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
References[edit]
- ^ "Harry and Ben McKay have talent spotters looking twice ahead of AFL national draft". amp.theage.com.au. Retrieved 21 March 2024.
- ^ "High Performance Program". St Paul's Anglican Grammar School. Retrieved 21 March 2024.
- ^ Bowen, Nick (24 November 2015). "Roos plan on developing Ben McKay into long-term replacement for Drew Petrie". AFL.com.au. Bigpond. Retrieved 21 October 2017.
- ^ Hamilton, Andrew (26 August 2017). "North Melbourne emphatically end tanking talk with big win over Brisbane Lions at the Gabba". The Courier-Mail. News Corp Australia. Retrieved 21 October 2017.
- ^ "McKay re-commits to North". nmfc.com.au. Retrieved 19 September 2019.
- ^ @AFLHouse (10 October 2023). "North Melbourne have elected to not match the offer and Ben McKay is now able to join Essendon immediately. North Melbourne are to receive a Round One compensation pick (currently pick 3)" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ Larkin, Steve (24 November 2015). "Sibling rivalry to reach another level after McKay twins get drafted". AFL.com.au. Bigpond. Retrieved 21 October 2017.
- ^ "Will Harry ever meet Ben? The curious case of the McKay twins". Australian Football League. 27 April 2022. Retrieved 6 May 2022.
- ^ "Blues' McKay fuels fire on social media". Zero Hanger. 30 April 2022. Retrieved 6 May 2022.
- ^ "Ben McKay". AFL Tables. Retrieved 21 July 2019.
External links[edit]
- Ben McKay's profile on the official website of the North Melbourne Football Club
- Ben McKay's playing statistics from AFL Tables