Carlton Striker Harry McKay opened up to Christian Petracca AFL transfer drama and how he inadvertently became an “accidental victim” in the ongoing saga surrounding the Melbourne premiership star. Petracca’s Future in Demons has become one of the hottest topics in the last few weeks amid reports that he wants to leave the club despite having five years left on his lucrative contract.

Petracca finally put an end to speculation over the weekend after re-committing to the Demons, but not before McKay got involved in the situation. With Collingwood and Carlton two clubs linked with a potential Petracca swap, the Coleman Medallist has emerged as the man most likely to join the Demons in a swap for the Melbourne ace.

McKay’s agent Dave Trotter and the Blues were quick to step up to the plate to quell speculation and ensure their player was happy at Carlton, but after seeing his name splashed across the headlines through no fault of his own, McKay has spoken out about the fallout, revealing it was far more “full-blown” than he had anticipated.

“I think sometimes we need to be more aware of throwing names around hypothetically and not understanding the collateral damage that sometimes happens,” McKay said on the Ben and Harry podcast. “I knew there was going to be an article at some point, but the way it was presented was a little more nuanced than I thought.

“Over the next 24 hours, you get a ton of calls, a ton of texts, family members checking up on you. I’m not sure people fully understand that – they might think it’s just part of the job and that’s what you have to endure as a player – but those are people who are close to you. It’s funny how many calls and texts you get from family members checking up on you.”

Harry McKay says young Blues fan begged him to stay

McKay revealed on the podcast that while he had no intention of leaving the Blues and no one at Carlton had broached the subject of Petracca being traded to Melbourne, he did have one young fan who begged him to stay at the club when the reports first emerged. “I remember leaving the club the next day and there was a young family there – a mum and three daughters – and they were wearing Carlton jumpers,” McKay recalled.

“(They) asked for a photo and an autograph. The young girl would have been six or seven, but when I was signing she said, ‘Are you going to be transferred to Melbourne? Please don’t say you’re going to be transferred to Melbourne.'” McKay credited Blues officials for reassuring him and explaining that there was never anything specific in the reports of a trade, saying it was “a really good sign of a really good culture” at Carlton.

“Everyone at the club has been amazing,” said the 26-year-old. “When key stakeholders and people call me straight away, they almost laugh about it, saying something like, ‘nothing’s got merit. Mate, you’re super valuable’. And we almost just had a bit of a laugh about it. From that point of view, it’s been really good and I think the club has been great.”

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McKay is expected to be a key player for the Blues when they face the Brisbane Lions in Saturday’s qualifying final at the Gabba. McKay is expected to overcome a quadriceps injury and take his place in the team alongside striker and goalkeeper Charlie Curnow, Mitch McGovern, Zac Williams and fan favourite Sam Docherty, who is expected to make a miraculous return to the pitch where most believed he suffered a third season-ending ACL injury in the first round.

from AAP