NRL Dolphins player Eli McKay’s meteoric rise through league ranks

His first team sport was ice hockey in Canada but now Central Queensland’s Eli McKay is making rugby league his own. Queensland Country honours, state schoolboys selection and an NRL contract are part of his resume - and he’s not yet 18.

The evolution of Central Queensland sportsman Eli McKay.

Central Queensland’s Eli McKay has compiled an enviable list of accomplishments in his short rugby league career.

Just days after being named in the Queensland under-19 emerging squad, he suited up for the Dolphins in their pre-season trial game against the CQ Capras in Gladstone on Saturday.

It’s been a meteoric rise for the modest, multi-talented athlete who only played his first game of footy at age 15 and will celebrate his 18th birthday on Tuesday.

Eli McKay in action for the CQ Capras.

He burst onto the scene, playing his club football with Rockhampton Tigers.

He played his way into The Cathedral College’s First XIII and the Capras’ Cyril Connell Cup line-up.

A rangy, hard-running centre who was willing to put his body on the line, Eli was making a big impression - and the Dolphins NRL club soon came knocking, signing him to a three-year deal when he was in Year 10.

He was offered a contract extension and is now living in Redcliffe, where he was training with the club’s under-19s before being called into the senior squad about a month ago by coach Kristian Woolf.

Eli McKay in his Dolphins jersey with dad Stuart.

Eli’s family watched on proudly at Marley Brown Oval on Saturday, with dad Stuart saying they “wouldn’t have missed it for the world”.

It’s a monumental step on Eli’s epic sporting journey, which has taken some incredible twists and turns to ultimately lead him to rugby league.

Eli spent much of his childhood in an environment that was a far cry from the balmy climes of Central Queensland.

He was five when he and his family moved back to the remote regions of Canada where they were near his grandfather, an Inuit Indian.

Eli McKay took up snowboarding and ice hockey in his formative years living in Canada.

Eli’s early sporting pursuits were dictated by the weather which saw the mercury drop as low as -60 degrees.

Those harsh winters failed to dampen his athletic enthusiasm. Instead, they channelled him towards ice hockey and snowboarding, in which he excelled.

Stuart’s work as a filmmaker took them to Western Australia when they returned to the country.

There Eli tried his hand at Aussie rules and became an accomplished surfer and skater.

Eli McKay became a proficient skater.

It was when the McKays returned to their home base of Agnes Water that the footy focus sharpened.

Stuart said that despite Eli not playing the game until his mid-teens, he always loved it and harboured a keen desire to play.

“I bought him his first football when he was three years old and he was always walking around with it under his arm,” he said.

“As he got older, we’d watch footy every weekend.

“He had a passion for rugby league from a really young age but he never got the opportunity to get into it.

“When he got to Year 9, he asked if he could go to boarding school so he could play it.

The Cathedral College's Eli McKay will look to continue his great form against Emmaus College in Round 1 of the Dolphins Cup on Tuesday.

“When he hit Year 10, we were in the position to get him there (The Cathedral College) - and the rest, you can say, is history.

“In a way, I wish we’d got him there earlier but now I think that him getting his first crack at 15 gave him a real appreciation for that opportunity.”

And Eli has made the most of it, his hard work and natural ability adding up to a raft of higher honours, including the Queensland Country under-17s and the Queensland schoolboys.

Duane Carpenter coached Eli in the Capras’ Cyril Connell Cup team for two years.

Parents Crystal and Stuart McKay were then when son Eli received his Queensland schoolboys jersey.

He described him as a “remarkable young athlete” with boundless potential.

“He’s a tall, rangy centre who is very quick and well-balanced,” he said.

“He’s very strong and hard to handle. He’s a great defender; he reads the play well and knows when to shut things down.

“He’s got a great work ethic and a great attitude to everything he does.”

Stuart said Eli was fortunate to have been mentored by positive role models such as Duane and TCC coach and former NRL premiership winner Tony Martin.

“He’s been surrounded by a lot of good people who have helped him get to where he is,” he said.

Eli McKay with a haul of sports trophies he won at The Cathedral College.

“We also really appreciate what the Dolphins have done in that development system. It’s absolutely incredible.”

Stuart believes Eli’s success goes beyond talent.

“He’s really competitive but in a pure way,” he said.

“He’s dedicated to his craft and that’s gone a long way.

“He’s tough; he runs hard, he hits hard and he always gives 110 percent.

“He’s always been good at everything he turned his hand to sports-wise but after that first footy season, I definitely realised he had a particular talent.”

Eli McKay flies high for the Dolphins in their pre-season game against the CQ Capras in Gladstone.

Stuart believes Eli’s unconventional upbringing has also shaped him into the sportsman and person that he is today.

“We’ve been on the road for a lot of Eli’s life,” he said.

“He’s well-rounded in that he’s met a lot of people and explored a lot of different cultures.

“He’s got a big heart and a really good head on his shoulders.

“He’s got this chance and he’s ready to give it his best shot and see how it goes.”

Originally published as NRL Dolphins player Eli McKay’s meteoric rise through league ranks