Blues want wayward Harry McKay to ‘stick to strengths’

Shayne Hope | June 2, 2023

Carlton coach Michael Voss has dismissed suggestions from an old AFL premiership teammate that the Blues should trade wayward key forward Harry McKay to a rival club.

McKay has been the subject of growing criticism ahead of Friday night’s crunch clash with Melbourne and his inaccuracy in front of goal has attracted plenty of unsolicited advice.

Former Brisbane Lions champion Jonathan Brown, who played alongside Voss in a famous hat-trick of flags, went as far as saying the Blues should send McKay to Sydney as Lance Franklin’s replacement.

“Was that Browny that said that, was it? I might have to have a chat to him,” Voss bristled on Thursday when the topic was raised by reporters.

McKay, whose monster contract ties him to Carlton until 2030, has booted 14.16 this season after peaking at 58.33 when he won the Coleman Medal in 2021.

The 25-year-old this week admitted he would need a “body of time” to rid himself of bad habits that have crept into his goal-kicking of late.

Voss intends to resist calls to push McKay further up the ground or into the ruck as part of a circuit-breaker to spark a turnaround in form.

“We stick to the strengths,” Voss said.

“In these moments sometimes there might be a need to step away from those but my experience over a long period of time is to step into those and just keep reinforcing what he needs to be able to do, and keep backing that in.”

McKay has tried to block out the criticism that has come his way but noted it has rubbed off on his family and coaches.

“It’s definitely challenging and it does suck at the moment because it affects a lot of other people not just me which I don’t like,” McKay said on the Ben and Harry podcast this week.

“Going through these challenging stages always it’s a good thing in the long run.”