AFL Player #32: Ben "Buckets" McKay - Worth every penny

[VelvetSledge]

Contract: Unrestricted Free Agent 2029
My Boy Draft 2024: Pick 30, Dave

 

[outersanctum]

Not many people know this, but when McKay hits 9 wins with us, it triggers North to be automatically sent to Darwin.

Jokes aside.. I think they would be better forcing north to become the Northern Kangaroos and play out of NT. NT need a team and with Tassie now getting a team.. it gives you a chance to restock their entire list under some new club expansion draft tampering plus gives them some chance economically.

Saw a few minutes of their game against Suns.. tragic. They are a seriously bad football team.

 

[fairbump_playon]

Jokes aside.. I think they would be better forcing north to become the Northern Kangaroos and play out of NT. NT need a team and with Tassie now getting a team.. it gives you a chance to restock their entire list under some new club expansion draft tampering plus gives them some chance economically.

Saw a few minutes of their game against Suns.. tragic. They are a seriously bad football team.

I find they look a lot better if you play the Benny Hill music in the background

And yes - while joking about the trigger - they have to go. And the Kangaroo moniker would work well for NT.

If they did move North well.. north, I would be fascinated by where a 20th team could be placed. Lots of decent options.

 

[outersanctum]

I find they look a lot better if you play the Benny Hill music in the background

And yes - while joking about the trigger - they have to go. And the Kangaroo moniker would work well for NT.

If they did move North well.. north, I would be fascinated by where a 20th team could be placed. Lots of decent options.

I think you could put another team in WA or SA easily. Start putting clubs where footy is loved. Both Freo and WCE play in front of sell out home crowds, WCE has long wait list for tickets even when they are playing really poorly. I think from a numbers perspective you could have a third team over there.

Logistically SA is probably easier, so that you don't have a third team requiring huge cross country trips. Again, Adelaide and Port Adelaide have now good strong support bases and financial security. I would think about putting a third team outside of Adelaide.

Or you put another Regional team in the comp. Ballarat and Bendigo both now have populations bigger than what Geelong was 20 years ago when they had a financially viable team. Most money is from TV deal anyway.. so it could be good to have another team not based in Melbourne.

Anyway we digress from McKay. So better get back on topic.

 

[Westlo]

I've been of the opinion of No Ridley no ******* chance but for this bloke to come in and be a ******* pillar helping us to 3rd spot after 9 games.... where out of these 9 games the bookies only had us favorites in 2..... he;s been ******* massive.

And how good is he going to be once Ridley is back

 

[Old Campaigner]

Saw a few minutes of their game against Suns.. tragic. They are a seriously bad football team.

just the saddest boobs football side, like a little kid with progeria cracking all his ribs trying to catch a Nerf ball, like 23 suicide notes wrapped in blue and white guernseys

 

[Gabe251]

just the saddest boobs football side, like a little kid with progeria cracking all his ribs trying to catch a Nerf ball, like 23 suicide notes wrapped in blue and white guernseys

And we still may struggle against them next week

 

[justlookingaround]

McKay getting injured is the worst thing that can happen to us imo.

 

[HirdyLannister]

McKay getting injured is the worst thing that can happen to us imo.

 

[justlookingaround]

was keeping me up last night

 

[TheGreatBarryB]

Think he beat Hogan all game even first quarter. He took three contested marks that quarter to Hogan’s two. Two of Hogan’s goals were short passes into chest with no hope of defending. Beat him out several times when Hogan was up the ground..key stops. Even his kicking has been pretty good

 

[Zach Package]

 

[MiguelM]

Think he beat Hogan all game even first quarter. He took three contested marks that quarter to Hogan’s two. Two of Hogan’s goals were short passes into chest with no hope of defending. Beat him out several times when Hogan was up the ground..key stops. Even his kicking has been pretty good

Without him Hogan probably kicks 8+

Seriously our best trade since Lloyd IMO.

 

[Petrify]

Without him Hogan probably kicks 8+

Seriously our best trade since Lloyd IMO.

Wasn't even a trade, just cap space

 

[Kong]

Spoiler: Language warning

 

[Vindicater]

McKay getting injured is the worst thing that can happen to us imo.

 

[The Devils Advocate]

McKay getting injured is the worst thing that can happen to us imo.

 

[MattyB3150]

I’m loving this guy more and more every week. He is the guy that we have been missing for such a long time. I feel like he is improving week by week and gaining confidence.

 

[mcgrath_truther]

having watched a few north games generally speaking he was always good, but because the rest of their team was so s**t he was constantly under pressure and couldn’t afford to play his own game.

now it’s different & he’s looking vastly superior. funny that

 

[Yoda_]

having watched a few north games generally speaking he was always good, but because the rest of their team was so s**t he was constantly under pressure and couldn’t afford to play his own game.

now it’s different & he’s looking vastly superior. funny that

Career highs in possessions, marks and even tackles is no coincidence. Winning is a feeling everyone enjoys and wants more of

 

[outersanctum]

As most of us are.. the thought ridley is back this week or next... omg. Imagine ridley as the floating interceptor... going to be very hard to keep the lid on.

 

[Yoda_]

Watch the video on the Essendon website, he just looks happy. Happy to be playing, playing well, winning

 

[blitzer]

I've liked all our recruits this year but honestly he has filled an absolute gaping hole in our list and made it a strength. I don't even want to think about who we would have been playing as our 2 key defenders this year without picking him up and with Ridley/Reid/Baldwin injured. He's probably close to recruit of the year so far along with probably Grundy.

I was a big fan of the pickup right from the start but he's still exceeded expectations for mine.
Especially since Ridley has not been available at all this year. It'll get way easier for him with another genuine interceptor.
I think he's flourished in pretty tough conditions. Our first month our transition defense was still terrible and put our backline under a lot of excess pressure and we've had limited tall defender support for him all year (although our small defenders are quite good I'd say).

 

[Yoda_]

Someone earlier in this thread mentioned this but was on show again versus the plastics

McKay knows his role and that is to get it into the hands of a better distributor. Takes safe options and does his job.


win:win

 

[Call Me Cake]

A pillar.

 

[silk]

A win this week would see Ben double his games won since since leaving North.