Add to that the fact that Essendon have not won a final since the days of former coach Kevin Sheedy,and the pressure starts to ramp up even higher.
“Obviously with Essendon,there’s a bit of external noise around not playing finals and stuff,so that’s something that the club has to deal with a bit as well,I’ve noticed,” McKay said.
“I understand,you know,that’s our world we live in;expectation and noise and all that sort of stuff. But from an external point of view,I try not to read it and go anywhere near it.
“Internally,I want to do the absolute best I can to get this club to where it belongs and build synergy with my teammates and work hard and earn their respect. So that’s internally been my focus,but externally sort of acknowledge that it’s there,but don’t try and read it too much into it.”
Though he is cautious to avoid buying into any of the narratives built around his arrival at the Bombers,McKay appreciates the backing of his new teammates,including Darcy Parish,who said last November he expected McKay to be a big player in changing the club’s recent on-field fortunes.
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“We’ve probably lacked someone of his size and calibre the last couple of years,so he’s going to fit straight into our back line along with so many good players we’ve got down there as well,” Parish said.
“He will probably help us out a fair bit. I’ll owe him a couple beers at the end of next season.”
McKay said that support was all that mattered.
“It is nice when players you know[make you] feel like you’re worthy and you’re making a difference to the place,which is all that matters.”
‘External noise’
McKay has had a front-row seat to media and fan scrutiny of a player under pressure to perform.
His twin brother Harry,a star forward for Carlton,has been battling the goalkicking yips.
“I’ve been impressed with how he carries himself,” McKay said of Harry.
“It’s not easy with the external noise,but he’s got a very good head on his shoulders – as much as I hate to admit it,he’s very switched on and worked very hard on his mental side of his game,as well as his craft.”
The Bombers didn’t play in the AFL’s opening round,so McKay watched on as Harry kicked the match-winner for the Blues against Brisbane.
In an on-field interview after the win,Harry’s teammate and last year’s Coleman medallist Charlie Curnow took a cheeky swipe at the attention his fellow forward had received.
“I reckon that can put the media to sleep a little bit. Well done ‘H’,” Curnow told Channel Seven.
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McKay believes his brother was one of the best players consistently for the Blues last year,something that was missed in the dialogue around his accuracy in front of goal.
“If you’re going to highlight one person’s mistakes,you got to be consistent … because the media do a good job of having a crack at us about consistency,so I think they can do a better job of that[too],” said McKay.
“But it was great to see him put that through[against the Lions] and have a big win for his club.”