AFLW rising talent Sophie McKay comes from a famous football family. Yet she almost didn't play

One of the AFLW's brightest young talents, Sophie McKay, grew up embedded in the footy world.

Her father Andrew McKay played 244 games for Carlton, while her older sister Abbie now captains the Blues' AFLW side.

At just 10, she rang the bell at Princes Park to signal the start of the very first AFLW game back in 2017.

Yet despite a bloodline with an abundance of natural ability, between the ages of 15 and 17, she quit football.

"I wasn't having fun with it and I fell out of love with it a bit. Then I actually came here on a Carlton Academy day and joined in a Captain's run, and was like, 'Oh my goodness. Like, this is exactly what I need to be doing'," McKay told ABC Sport.

It was a sense of joy while playing that she felt she was missing and when she returned to the game, it was with a newfound energy that she has now become known for through her first year in the AFLW.

"The way I do really well is having a lot of fun in that environment — and for me, that's with a lot of energy and kind of just being silly," she said, now 19 and a Rising Star contender.

"That kind of made me realise what I need in terms of feeling the best on the footy field and I think that's kind of what Carlton was probably missing, that bit of flair — and that could be from anyone."

McKay is part of a crop of new talent at the Blues, along with fellow Rising Star hopeful Poppy Scholz and Lila Keck, who have given new life to the club that has been missing from finals action since 2020.

Last season, Carlton finished 14th with just four wins and seven losses. The two years prior, the side ended 12th and 14th, ahead of an eighth finish in season six of 2022 when only the top six played finals.

This year, the Blues booked their spot in November with a dominant 20-point win over West Coast, who they will face again in week one of finals this Saturday.

"I've been around for the worser times, even if I'm on the other side of the fence … You could see the emotion, like a lot of our older players were in tears post the Eagles game and that was pure happiness and almost relief as well," McKay said.

"Definitely last year was really hard, and I saw that with Abbie. You know, trying to lead a club and something's not clicking … 100 per cent I feel lucky [to be playing finals]. My sister has been playing for seven years and this is her first final."

Despite closely watching Abbie from the sidelines during her teenage years, McKay said she was still shocked by the quality of the competition when she arrived at Carlton for pre-season.

For years, she had seen it grow while public dialogue around the competition lamented its quality.

"I came in and was like, 'Oh, wow'… I think outside noise, you can hear it everywhere that the standard's not very good or the reason people aren't watching is because they want the standard to be better, and I think when you're a kid reading into those things, you tend to kind of just jump on a bandwagon [of thought]," McKay said.

"But coming in, it's the best standard I've ever been a part of. In the beginning, I fell short because I just wasn't as good … I think it does help having the younger players coming in that lift that standard a bit but, yeah, it's impressed me so much."

She said her first practice game against Richmond ahead of the season was "a huge slap in the face".

"Just like, 'Oh my god, everyone is so strong. I'm not versing teenagers anymore. I'm versing women' … I was like, 'Oh, they pushed me and I'm on the floor'," McKay gestured to being bumped over.

"And even the speed of the game, my first disposal was a throw. My first disposal in the practice game was holding the ball … But it's so amazing how you can adapt to things like that, that's really surprised me, just the ability to pick it up.

Despite the rapid rise, she does not shy away from the attention, on or off the field.

When asked if he was surprised by the outside McKay had received from the media, Carlton coach Mathew Buck replied with a quick "no".

"She brings it on herself," he laughed, referring to her social media presence and TikTok account with with Abbie.

Yet on her talent, he added he was not surprised by the attention she received from opposition players either.

"I think we're only scratching the surface of the player she's going to be," he said.

Click here to read article