Coleman Medal leader Harry McKay ruled out of Carlton’s clash with Port Adelaide

Carlton forward Harry McKay has had one hand on the Coleman Medal for most of the season, but a new injury has changed everything.

McKay suffered an injury against Gold Coast but managed to play out the game, kicking two goals. Picture: Michael Willson / AFL Photos via Getty Images

Carlton has confirmed key forward Harry McKay is “highly unlikely” to travel to Adelaide for this weekend’s game with the Power, opening the door for his Coleman Medal rivals to gain the ascendancy.

McKay has led the AFL’s goalkicking stakes for most of the year, but an injury to his AC joint suffered during Carlton’s round 21 loss to Gold Coast threatens to derail his Coleman campaign.

“Harry had a big hit to that AC joint as we saw when he hit the ground. He has pulled up pretty sore,” Carlton’s director of high performance, Andrew Russell, said on Monday.

“We’ve done some scans and he’s highly unlikely to play this weekend at this stage.”

McKay has played his entire career to date with the Blues. Picture: Jason McCawley / AFL Photos via Getty Images

McKay has slotted 58 goals so far in season 2021 and is ten major scores clear of the two players running in equal second; Adelaide’s Taylor Walker and Josh Bruce of the Western Bulldogs.

However, if McKay is to be caught, it won’t be by either of those two – Walker has been rubbed out for the remainder of the season after admitting to making a racist comment at a SANFL game last month, while Bruce suffered a season-ending ACL injury in his side’s loss to Essendon on Sunday.

With only two rounds of the regular season remaining, it appears only two men can challenge McKay, and both are previous Coleman Medal winners.

Geelong’s Tom Hawkins and Richmond’s Jack Riewoldt have chalked up 47 goals each this season and will need to have prolific outings in rounds 22 and 23 if they’re to add another Coleman Medal to their trophy cases come Brownlow night.

Hawkins and Riewoldt each average 2.3 goals per game this year and both men’s sides face one team currently in the top eight and one team outside of it on the run home.

Hawkins won the Coleman Medal in 2020. Picture: Michael Willson / AFL Photos via Getty Images

While McKay won’t play in Carlton’s clash with Port Adelaide, the club expects Sam Walsh will be fit for its penultimate fixture of 2021.

“‘Walshy rolled his ankle really late in the game. We weren’t too concerned once we saw him, he settled down well,” Russell said.

“Scans were good and we expect him to play this week.”

Will Setterfield could also take his place in the side to face Port Adelaide, while big-money recruit Zac Williams is set to return for the Blues’ final game of the regular season, when they’ll face his former club the Greater Western Sydney Giants.