Carlton forward Harry McKay has opened up on the tumultuous past few months that saw him take personal leave away from the club.
McKay, after the Round 1 loss to Richmond, admitted he wasn't in a "great place mentally" despite his complex emotions of appearing to have it all: Football, teammates, loving and supporting family and partner.
"Everything in my world was in such a great place, and that's why it was really scary that it didn't make a lot of sense," McKay said on the Ben and Harry podcast.
"Five or six weeks ago, in late February, I started feeling in not a great place mentally. I think the most challenging part of that was me thinking I shouldn't be feeling the way I was.
โI guess you could say it was really irrational to feel like that, and as that progressed and unfortunately feeling in a worse and worse spot, I had to put on a bit of a facade to pretend to be okay when I really wasn't. That was really hard, as a male who would hang their hat on always turning up, being stoic, pushing through. But it got to a place where I had to put a hand up and say I needed some help.
A different kind of chat today.
Harry McKay opened up alongside brother Ben ahead of his Gather Round return ๐
READ MORE: https://t.co/ksRmH21UY2 pic.twitter.com/5uBpATThFf
โ Carlton FC (@CarltonFC) April 9, 2025
"Feeling in a place where you're really blue and not yourself, but feeling like you have to put a facade on to pretend that everything was okay reached a tipping point, it was scary. But I needed to put my hand up and say I'm not okay and need some help. That can be really tough to see someone like that, but it got to a stage where it was really the only option."
The club has thrown immense support behind McKay in his journey back to football and a better space.
The 2021 Coleman medallist returned via the VFL last week in a bid for top-flight football, but coach Michael Voss never put pressure despite their winless start.
Tipped to head over to South Australia for Gather Round to take on West Coast, McKay says he is in a better spot now to perform at his best across multiple domains of his life, including football.
โI feel really lucky to feel like myself again," McKay continued.
"Anyone that has been through something similar can understand there's a physical toll that comes with going through something like this, and in the last week or two, it's been about hitting those markers and working on a plan to get back to a great level.
"That's why it was so awesome to get some minutes in and hit some of those markers in the VFL on the weekend. To be able to tick off some of those things will hold me in good stead for Gather Round this week - and I'm really excited to run out in front of Carlton fans again, who have been so beautiful, and with my teammates competing together."
You can catch the full chat between the McKay brothers here.
