“YOU’RE never too far away.”
From both a personal and team perspective, Harry McKay is firm in his belief that it’s not far away from clicking.
Heading into Round 6 against Collingwood with a 1-4 record after dropping games from winnable positions, McKay and the Blues are aware that the only way to turn things around is… to turn things around.
With a four-quarter performance eluding the Blues so far this season, McKay believes that last week’s trip to Adelaide Oval was an example of the Blues getting closer to their best footy, with a 10-minute patch in the second quarter proving decisive in the result.
Speaking on FOX Footy’s AFL 360 ahead of Thursday night’s clash with the old enemy, McKay said reward for effort would be a welcome sight for the Blues heading into the next block of games.
“Anytime you play Collingwood, the four points is great to get. A bit of reward for some of the good footy we’ve been playing would be great: for the Club and the 23 that have been playing, especially some of the younger boys who have stepped into it for the first time,” McKay said.
“We want to play 120 minutes of our footy, and we know that’ll give us the best chance to win games. It’s never as far away as it seems.
“In the footy industry, we’re good at extremes - whether that’s high or low. The reality is inside the four walls, we try to keep it pretty measured. I don’t think we’re too far away.”
McKay also spoke on his personal form, with seven goals from his first five games as a new-look Carlton forward line constantly looks to find its best mix.
Vastly different to its makeup in recent seasons, the Blues have welcomed Ben Ainsworth and Will Hayward from other clubs, blooded draftee Talor Byrne, reintegrated Brodie Kemp after a long-term injury as well as bringing back Mitch McGovern after multiple years down back.
For McKay, he’s not going to stop fronting up each and every week - with Michael Voss revealing on Tuesday that the big man’s commitment in trying conditions at Adelaide Oval seeing him acknowledged with the players’ player award for Round 5.
“As a key forward, the margins are so fine… if you keep launching at the ball, more will stick than they won’t.
“All we can do is keep showing up. Ahead of the ball, I think we’re competing pretty well and scoring relatively well when it comes in - you’d always like to stick a few more, but we keep going.”
McKay and the Blues will front up again on Thursday night in front of a capacity crowd for the 31st Peter Mac Cup, which will be the first time McKay has taken on the old enemy since 2024.
With the obvious hostility of the rivalry and key stakes riding on a win, that is juxtaposed by another instalment in the longest-running charity match in the AFL.
“It’s a fantastic game to be part of, every year it’s really special,” he said.
“As a player, you absolutely love being part of those games that are bigger than the four points. We can’t wait to get out there on Thursday night: in the midst of two big rivals going at it, I think there’s something wonderful in the fact that there’s a bigger cause to it.”
