Jay Clark: Carlton should be applauded for allowing Harry McKay to step away from football to deal with personal issues
The days of telling players to “toughen up” are long gone, and Carlton should be applauded for allowing him to step away from footy to deal with personal issues, writes Jay Clark.
AFL
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Carlton is wrapping its arms around Harry McKay the person.
Whatever comes next in his football career can wait.
The gun goal kicker won’t play against Western Bulldogs on Friday night at Marvel Stadium due to personal reasons.
They are the same personal reasons which saw him withdrawn late for the clash against Hawthorn at the MCG last week.
The club said illness last week, in part, to protect him and his privacy.
On the surface, McKay’s absence is a huge blow for a club staring down the barrel of a 0-3 start if they don’t get going against the depleted Dogs.
But as much as the Blues’ fan base is desperate for some success after 29 years without a flag, Carlton is putting the welfare of the forward first.
Performing at the top level can be an anxious business, and not everyone is bulletproof to the fear and stomach-churning nausea it creates.
And the specific nature of his personal issues should remain private, the club says, as it strives to put McKay’s mental and physical health ahead of the team’s on field needs.
This is exactly what should happen.
In previous years, players have boxed on as they struggled with personal issues and mental health problems and subsequently carried the weight of the world on their shoulders out on to the ground.
AFL legend Leigh Matthews said he sympathised for the current crop of players considering some of the evils of social media and online abuse.
“It seems to me the two issues – mental health and social media and in particular social media addiction – are linked,” Matthews said.
“And that is right across the community let alone footy.
“I think social media just causes more issues for players.
“I would hate to be a player in the current social media age.”
But he said sometimes the confidentiality regarding some players’ issues and private lives made it difficult for clubs, coaches and teammates to get a full grip on the problems as well.
Matthews said clubs were duty-bound to follow professional advice about their players’ welfare.
“If players come to you and say I have an issue and need some time away from the club then clubs really have no choice than to support it,” Matthews said.
“Some things are just a no-go zone.”
North Melbourne great Wayne Schwass would walk into the club doctor’s rooms and break down in tears hours before and after games and training.
Then, he’d wipe those tears from his face, hide the issues and his suffering from his teammates and then run out on to the field of battle.
Alcohol was a coping mechanism. And his health suffered. His great mate Wayne Carey had no idea about any of it at the time, Schwass masked it so well.
Players need time and the right support to work through their struggles and Carlton has proven it is a club which will prioritise its players’ wellbeing.
The pressures and scrutiny of the modern game have never been more fierce and not all young men cope easily with the focus.
West Coast’s Harley Reid is under intense fire at the moment for some of his on-field antics and form struggles.
Former number one pick and Hawthorn and Brisbane champion Luke Hodge has stepped in to help, knowing the intensity and risks of such public scrutiny.
Former Carlton and Collingwood star Dale Thomas has urged the media to lay-off, worried for the impacts on him and consequences down the track.
“There becomes a point where it has taken a toll. I’ve lived it,” Thomas said on Triple M.
Thomas botched a set shot playing for Carlton in his first game against his old teammates at Collingwood in 2014 and said in the moments afterwards he wanted the ground to swallow him up.
Blues’ youngster Elijah Hollands earlier this month made the call to step away from the club to deal with some private matters as well.
And now McKay will join him, and this should be applauded, not ridiculed. The “toughen up” rubbish shouldn’t fly in the stands or in the pub across the weekend.
Carlton football manager Brad Lloyd made the club’s approach to these matters clear two weeks ago.
“We applaud Elijah for having the courage to come forward and ask for help, and we will continue to work with him to ensure he gets all the support he needs,” Lloyd said.
“While Elijah has been engaged with the football program, quite rightly it is our care for him as a person which matters most, so this period of leave will allow him to focus on himself and he will be afforded as much time as he needs to do that.”
The impact on the team will and should be secondary.
The AFL Players’ Association provides a free, professional and confidential counselling service to AFL players.
In 2023, the service provided 1297 consults to 155 AFL players.
Then there is the issue of ongoing support for former players and tragically football lost two of its favourite sons over summer.
The game is played in such an intense spotlight, and as Thomas says, the consequences for players’ mental health can be significant.
Thankfully, these days they are supported in taking the breaks and getting the help they need.
Originally published as Jay Clark: Carlton should be applauded for allowing Harry McKay to step away from football to deal with personal issues
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