The number of suitors for North Melbourne free agent Ben McKay is down to two after Sydney dropped out of the competitive race.
The Swans as recently as a fortnight ago were seen by rival clubs as the No. 1 contender for McKay, with suggestions they had the strongest offer and were prepared to hand him a deal worth more than $800,000 per season.
But multiple reports on Wednesday — AFL Media’s Cal Twomey and The Age’s Peter Ryan — suggested the Swans were no longer in the mix for the free agent’s services, leaving Victorian clubs Hawthorn and Essendon to battle it out in the coming weeks.
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Foxfooty.com.au last week reported Hawthorn had met with McKay, who’s played 71 games across seven seasons at North. Herald Sun reporter Jon Ralph on Monday night reported the Hawks on the weekend had stepped up their bid for the key defender, who toured the club’s facilities.
But the cashed-up Bombers are armed with a $2 million war chest to use on prospective targets – and they’ve made McKay a high priority, especially with Brandon Zerk-Thatcher requesting a trade to Port Adelaide. McKay also has a connection to Essendon through coach Brad Scott, who he played under for three seasons at North Melbourne.
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Sydney has been in the market for a key back after missing out on Harry Himmelberg – who shunned free agency and signed a new long-term deal at the Giants – and Tom Barrass – who pledged his allegiance to his current West Coast contract amid interest from the Swans – in recent months.
Port Adelaide had also shown early interest in McKay, but reportedly wasn’t prepared to offer as much cash as the other three clubs and quickly turned its attention to Zerk-Thatcher and Geelong’s Esava Ratugolea.
It means the initial four-club bidding war is now down to two for McKay, who looms as a key piece of this year’s trade period.
Whichever offer McKay chooses, too, will likely trigger a first-round free agency compensation selection for the Kangaroos, who would then hold Picks 2 and 3 in the draft.
“He’s drowning in more choices than his record would say he should have, but this is the market,” AFL 360 co-host Gerard Whateley said on Tuesday night. “He’s been picked as the best solution for tall defensive deficiencies at three good clubs.”
Fellow Fox Footy co-host Mark Robinson urged McKay to pick the club he ultimately believed could “make the greatest contribution” to.
“One minute someone’s offered six, next moment someone’s offered seven years, someone’s offered $750,000, someone’s offered $825,000,” Robinson told AFL 360.
“What does it come down to? Money? Does it come down to years? Or does it come down to Ben McKay deciding where he can make a really good contribution to a football club?
“You go for the highest amount of money and go for the longest number of years, good on you, you can absolutely do that. But also, he’s got to ask himself the question: What do I want to be and be remembered as?
“He stayed at North Melbourne (in 2021), he could’ve left earlier. Everyone’s a bit heavy on him and he’s got some flaws, we know that. But this next step could decide what sort of player Ben McKay is remembered as. So don’t go for the cash and long years, go to the club where you think you can make the greatest contribution.”
