VelvetSledge
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AFL Player #32: Ben "Buckets" McKay - Worth every penny
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Yeah he's M(y)-cKay-nda guy.
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Yeah he's M(y)-cKay-nda guy.
Prediction: Hopes for a 20th club are dashed when, two years after its debut season, it's announced that NMFC will merge with Tasmania, bring the AFL back to being an 18 team comp.
This would not surprise me. 18 seems about right.
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fun fact.
buckets could lose the next 50 games straight and still have a better record than he did with north.
buckets could lose the next 50 games straight and still have a better record than he did with north.
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Will he play next week and finally put the rumours to bed?
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Let's hope he doesn't!
A bit long but a great read
It’s the AFL match-up the McKay family have been looking forward to – and in part nervous about – for the best part of a decade.
Ben and Harry McKay – mirror-image twins who have shared a birthday, a bedroom for the first 14 years of their lives, a passion for footy, and to this day every pair of new shoes – will finally square off in an AFL match when Essendon and Carlton meet in Sunday night’s King’s Birthday eve clash before more than 90,000 fans.
They first competed, far from the madding crowds, in the yard of their one-time family home in Warragul. The audience then sometimes consisted of their parents Peter and Tracey, their eldest sister Hannah and younger brother Charlie, or even a few mates.
Sparse crowds saw them play two VFL games against each other – the first at opposite ends of the ground in 2016, then a second encounter in 2018 when Ben got the chance to play in defence on Harry as North Melbourne’s VFL side took on Carlton’s VFL affiliate.
Selection and form in their development years, then injuries and circumstances beyond their control in the years since have kept them apart from a highly anticipated sibling showdown.
Until now!
The showdown between the McKay brothers is finally here. Picture: David Caird
It came to a point where Harry once said during the crowd-free Covid years: “I guess the universe just doesn’t want us to play against each other in front of no crowds.”
Now, more than 3000 days since they were drafted 11 selections apart in the 2015 national draft, it is fitting that a packed MCG house will witness their first AFL clash opposed to each other, with Ben now playing with Essendon, the club both boys barracked for as kids.
Ben told the Sunday Herald Sun this week: “We have obviously done everything together all of our lives … so hopefully on Sunday we cross paths.”
Harry added: “It will be a bit strange actually playing against Ben and seeing him in an Essendon jumper. It’s going to be fun.”
The McKay family will be in an MCG corporate box riding every bump and contest, with Tracey in dual Carlton-Essendon scarfs and Peter in his favourite Christmas jumper. The boys’ siblings will be there too.
“Tracey will go with the two scarfs (Essendon and Carlton); I’m going with my ugly Christmas jumper, which doesn’t have any red, black, blue or white in it,” Peter told us.
“I will be completely neutral.
“Growing up, every bloody chip had to be counted to make sure it was even on the plate.
“We hadn’t really been looking forward to it to this point, but we are more comfortable now. They are better placed to deal with it now; they are more mature and stable. There will be bigger things for them to worry about when the ball is actually bounced.”
Childhood photos of Ben and Harry McKay.
Peter’s father, Ian, 87, will also be there, as the source of the family’s original passion for the Bombers, while grandmother Valda, will be watching every moment unfold on television.
Peter and Tracey will never forget that April 2018 day when the boys lined up on each other at VFL level. Ben had 10 disposals to Harry’s seven, but conceded two goals.
“They have had the same stigma (in their eyes) and have been wearing (contact lenses) since they were about 11 or 12,” Peter explained.
“In that game (in 2018), as Ben was running down to full back and Harry was at full forward, someone kicked a goal. They started bumping each other. Jed Lamb, who was Harry’s teammate at the time, came in and gave Ben a bit of a whack on the head. It wasn’t a nasty incident, but Ben’s contact lens was knocked out.
“Ben hadn’t taken any spare lenses that day. Harry felt a bit guilty and he snuck off before the ball was bounced and got a spare one out of his bag, because they had the same script.”
It was Christmas Eve 1997.
“Ben was only older because they were both a caesarean section … they had to drag someone out first,” Peter said.
“The reason they were pulled out by the doctor on Christmas Eve was partly because the doctor was about to go on holiday, but also because Ben was underweight and Harry was overweight. So there was not an equal distribution of food going on there.
“Ben actually spent the first couple of weeks of his life in an incubator, nothing too serious, but they were just monitoring him.
“One of the ways to tell them apart for the first 18 months or so was that Harry was the more rounded one and Ben was always the smaller one.”
The boys were Peter and Tracey’s second and third children, and their parents were determined to ensure both had the opportunity to enjoy the birthday and Christmas experiences.
“We didn’t tell them for the first few years that they were born right on Christmas … they used to have a party around the second week of December,” Peter said.
“They probably didn’t know (the real date) until they were about probably nine or ten. We just wanted to make sure they had their time in the sun as Christmas is a special time.”
Ben recalled this week: “Mum and dad always did a great job of (separating birthdays with Christmas). It was still fun. It ended up being the best two of the days back to back.”
Identical twins Harry and Ben McKay have remarkably never faced each other in the AFL.
Ben added: “Mum and dad must have had their work cut out.”
“We grew up in Gippsland and our first property had 10 acres I think, so we had plenty of space to run around and kick the footy and play cricket.
“Harry and I were the sporty ones and Charlie and Hannah were more academically gifted.”
There was one saving grace, as Peter detailed: “They were exhausted and in bed with a stomach full of food by eight o’clock.
“From the time they got up, they were go, go, go. They didn’t have many interests outside of sport. They had a few music lessons at school as well, but generally there was an in-built energy that didn’t lend itself to sitting at a piano stool.”
Their dad built goalposts at home which the boys almost wore out.
Looking back now, Peter couldn’t be happier that he did it: “Imagine, for whatever reason, you just don’t get around to doing it (building the goals). But I loved footy as much as they did. It was therapeutic for me to kick the footy on the weekends with the kids … backwards and forwards. They were fanatical about it.”
Harry added: “We spent hours and hours out there … They are some of my best memories.”
Ben was always the protective one whenever blood was spilt.
“When I was about eight or nine, we had a hay bale and there was one bit of concrete on the property and I managed to fall off and split my head open,” Harry said.
“Ben didn’t quite understand the severity of it. So he just ran inside and grabbed a couple of tissues and brought them out to me. I’m not sure the tissues were going to fix it.”
Ben added: “Mum was inside and I thought she would have cracked it. I thought I would try to protect him and downplay it a bit and deal with it ourselves.”
The tissues didn’t quite do the trick. Harry ended up getting some stitches in hospital after their mum “caught onto us.”
The two brothers were always active as kids.
Ian grew up as a kid in the stationmaster’s house in Berwick. Fortuitously, his older sister ‘Les’ moved down to Melbourne, and lived close to Essendon’s then Windy Hill home.
“My dad’s beloved sister was boarding in Essendon,” Peter recounted. “She used to go to Windy Hill and my dad used to visit her and go to the footy to watch John Coleman (Essendon’s legendary full forward). That’s how we became Bombers’ fans.”
While Peter and Tracey will be neutral on Sunday night, Harry and Ben’s grandfather won’t be so partisan.
“He’s so proud of the boys,” Peter said. “My only concern about Sunday night is that he (Ian) is not very good in mixed footy company.
“He’ll be barracking for the boys, and Essendon.”
Ben and Harry watched the Bombers’ 1984 and ‘85 premiership pack almost as much as the Wiggles when growing up, according to their father.
Ben said: “We all grew up supporting Essendon, but once you are drafted to a club you are obviously invested into that club.”
Harry was taken by Carlton at pick 10 in the 2015 draft, while Ben went to North Melbourne at pick 21.
Ben’s decision to exercise his free agency rights last year meant he left the Kangaroos – where he played 71 games for only eight wins – to join the club he supported as a kid.
Ben’s decision to leave North Melbourne caused some heartache, mainly because Peter said his son was always so eager to please people.
“It was a very tough six month period when he was leaving,” Peter said. “Ben doesn’t like change and he doesn’t like to upset people. But he knew if he was ever to reach somewhere near his potential, he needed to make a change.”
The McKay kids with their grandfather (Peter's dad). Hannah, Harry, Ian (grandfather), Charlie and Ben.
When such twins face each other, it can sometimes appear as if they are looking in the mirror.
That’s the case with the McKay twins, right down to their feet
As Ben explained: “I wear a (size) 14 (shoe/boot) on my left and a (size) 13 on my right, and Harry wears a 13 on his left and a 14 on his right.”
Harry added: “We get a pair of (size) 13 and (size) 14 from Puma and we take one of each. It’s a bit different, but it works.”
Personality-wise, the boys are a little different, though with the same family values.
“I think Ben has always been a little quieter and a bit more reserved. But deep down I think values-wise, we are pretty similar,” Harry said. “But I have a bit better sense of humour.”
Ben added: “We’re identical twins and it probably frustrates us sometimes that we see the same things and have the same interests. That’s probably why we clash a bit.
“But it’s probably pretty cool to have someone who sees the same things and likes doing the same things, so to Harry’s point, we’re very similar.”
The twins are forever linked.
Sunday night marks the first time they will have played against each other at AFL level.
The good-natured ribbing has been going on for a number of years now, with Ben once claiming he would never play on his brother because “I normally take the best forward.”
Harry responded: “Ben might be playing in the twos then.”
We’ve had to wait for it for so long now that the anticipation has built to a significant level and it comes at a time when both are playing near the peak of their powers.
Harry is already a Coleman medallist, but his value to the Blues in tandem with his key position partner in the forward line Charlie Curnow is as strong as ever in the club’s pursuit of a drought-breaking premiership.
The McKay brothers will play key roles in Sunday’s blockbuster. (Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)
He joked this week that Ben better line up on him this week as Charlie might kick 10 on him.
But he also knows that Ben is in the best form of his career, too, having settled in perfectly at Essendon.
Ben has played a key role in the Bombers’ outstanding season so far, and if Essendon can beat Carlton on Sunday, it will mean he has played in more wins (nine) for his new club in one season as he did in his entire time at North Melbourne (eight).
“I am sure there will be a bit of banter,” Harry said.
Ben added: “Deep down, as twins, you’ve been together for your whole lives, and you develop a love of each other. That will always be the case.”
But, given their competitive natures, and the high stakes for both clubs, both will bring a spare pair of contact lenses … just in case.
Ben and Harry McKay finally set to face off when Essendon and Carlton collide at the MCG
You could be forgiven for thinking the McKay brothers’ clash in the AFL would never happen. GLENN MCFARLANE chats to the McKay family about what makes Ben and Harry’s clash so anticipated.It’s the AFL match-up the McKay family have been looking forward to – and in part nervous about – for the best part of a decade.
Ben and Harry McKay – mirror-image twins who have shared a birthday, a bedroom for the first 14 years of their lives, a passion for footy, and to this day every pair of new shoes – will finally square off in an AFL match when Essendon and Carlton meet in Sunday night’s King’s Birthday eve clash before more than 90,000 fans.
They first competed, far from the madding crowds, in the yard of their one-time family home in Warragul. The audience then sometimes consisted of their parents Peter and Tracey, their eldest sister Hannah and younger brother Charlie, or even a few mates.
Sparse crowds saw them play two VFL games against each other – the first at opposite ends of the ground in 2016, then a second encounter in 2018 when Ben got the chance to play in defence on Harry as North Melbourne’s VFL side took on Carlton’s VFL affiliate.
Selection and form in their development years, then injuries and circumstances beyond their control in the years since have kept them apart from a highly anticipated sibling showdown.
Until now!
The showdown between the McKay brothers is finally here. Picture: David Caird
It came to a point where Harry once said during the crowd-free Covid years: “I guess the universe just doesn’t want us to play against each other in front of no crowds.”
Now, more than 3000 days since they were drafted 11 selections apart in the 2015 national draft, it is fitting that a packed MCG house will witness their first AFL clash opposed to each other, with Ben now playing with Essendon, the club both boys barracked for as kids.
Ben told the Sunday Herald Sun this week: “We have obviously done everything together all of our lives … so hopefully on Sunday we cross paths.”
Harry added: “It will be a bit strange actually playing against Ben and seeing him in an Essendon jumper. It’s going to be fun.”
The McKay family will be in an MCG corporate box riding every bump and contest, with Tracey in dual Carlton-Essendon scarfs and Peter in his favourite Christmas jumper. The boys’ siblings will be there too.
“Tracey will go with the two scarfs (Essendon and Carlton); I’m going with my ugly Christmas jumper, which doesn’t have any red, black, blue or white in it,” Peter told us.
“I will be completely neutral.
“Growing up, every bloody chip had to be counted to make sure it was even on the plate.
“We hadn’t really been looking forward to it to this point, but we are more comfortable now. They are better placed to deal with it now; they are more mature and stable. There will be bigger things for them to worry about when the ball is actually bounced.”
Childhood photos of Ben and Harry McKay.
Peter’s father, Ian, 87, will also be there, as the source of the family’s original passion for the Bombers, while grandmother Valda, will be watching every moment unfold on television.
Peter and Tracey will never forget that April 2018 day when the boys lined up on each other at VFL level. Ben had 10 disposals to Harry’s seven, but conceded two goals.
“They have had the same stigma (in their eyes) and have been wearing (contact lenses) since they were about 11 or 12,” Peter explained.
“In that game (in 2018), as Ben was running down to full back and Harry was at full forward, someone kicked a goal. They started bumping each other. Jed Lamb, who was Harry’s teammate at the time, came in and gave Ben a bit of a whack on the head. It wasn’t a nasty incident, but Ben’s contact lens was knocked out.
“Ben hadn’t taken any spare lenses that day. Harry felt a bit guilty and he snuck off before the ball was bounced and got a spare one out of his bag, because they had the same script.”
CHRISTMAS EVE BABIES
Ben beat Harry into the world by one minute, partly because the delivering doctor was about to go on holiday.It was Christmas Eve 1997.
“Ben was only older because they were both a caesarean section … they had to drag someone out first,” Peter said.
“The reason they were pulled out by the doctor on Christmas Eve was partly because the doctor was about to go on holiday, but also because Ben was underweight and Harry was overweight. So there was not an equal distribution of food going on there.
“Ben actually spent the first couple of weeks of his life in an incubator, nothing too serious, but they were just monitoring him.
“One of the ways to tell them apart for the first 18 months or so was that Harry was the more rounded one and Ben was always the smaller one.”
The boys were Peter and Tracey’s second and third children, and their parents were determined to ensure both had the opportunity to enjoy the birthday and Christmas experiences.
“We didn’t tell them for the first few years that they were born right on Christmas … they used to have a party around the second week of December,” Peter said.
“They probably didn’t know (the real date) until they were about probably nine or ten. We just wanted to make sure they had their time in the sun as Christmas is a special time.”
Ben recalled this week: “Mum and dad always did a great job of (separating birthdays with Christmas). It was still fun. It ended up being the best two of the days back to back.”
Identical twins Harry and Ben McKay have remarkably never faced each other in the AFL.
ALWAYS ON THE GO
Harry concedes that he and Ben were so endlessly active in their early years that it can’t have been easy for their parents.Ben added: “Mum and dad must have had their work cut out.”
“We grew up in Gippsland and our first property had 10 acres I think, so we had plenty of space to run around and kick the footy and play cricket.
“Harry and I were the sporty ones and Charlie and Hannah were more academically gifted.”
There was one saving grace, as Peter detailed: “They were exhausted and in bed with a stomach full of food by eight o’clock.
“From the time they got up, they were go, go, go. They didn’t have many interests outside of sport. They had a few music lessons at school as well, but generally there was an in-built energy that didn’t lend itself to sitting at a piano stool.”
Their dad built goalposts at home which the boys almost wore out.
Looking back now, Peter couldn’t be happier that he did it: “Imagine, for whatever reason, you just don’t get around to doing it (building the goals). But I loved footy as much as they did. It was therapeutic for me to kick the footy on the weekends with the kids … backwards and forwards. They were fanatical about it.”
Harry added: “We spent hours and hours out there … They are some of my best memories.”
Ben was always the protective one whenever blood was spilt.
“When I was about eight or nine, we had a hay bale and there was one bit of concrete on the property and I managed to fall off and split my head open,” Harry said.
“Ben didn’t quite understand the severity of it. So he just ran inside and grabbed a couple of tissues and brought them out to me. I’m not sure the tissues were going to fix it.”
Ben added: “Mum was inside and I thought she would have cracked it. I thought I would try to protect him and downplay it a bit and deal with it ourselves.”
The tissues didn’t quite do the trick. Harry ended up getting some stitches in hospital after their mum “caught onto us.”
The two brothers were always active as kids.
BARRACKING FOR THE BOMBERS
One of the family’s favourite photos is one of four McKay siblings in their Essendon jumpers along with their grandfather Ian.Ian grew up as a kid in the stationmaster’s house in Berwick. Fortuitously, his older sister ‘Les’ moved down to Melbourne, and lived close to Essendon’s then Windy Hill home.
“My dad’s beloved sister was boarding in Essendon,” Peter recounted. “She used to go to Windy Hill and my dad used to visit her and go to the footy to watch John Coleman (Essendon’s legendary full forward). That’s how we became Bombers’ fans.”
While Peter and Tracey will be neutral on Sunday night, Harry and Ben’s grandfather won’t be so partisan.
“He’s so proud of the boys,” Peter said. “My only concern about Sunday night is that he (Ian) is not very good in mixed footy company.
“He’ll be barracking for the boys, and Essendon.”
Ben and Harry watched the Bombers’ 1984 and ‘85 premiership pack almost as much as the Wiggles when growing up, according to their father.
Ben said: “We all grew up supporting Essendon, but once you are drafted to a club you are obviously invested into that club.”
Harry was taken by Carlton at pick 10 in the 2015 draft, while Ben went to North Melbourne at pick 21.
Ben’s decision to exercise his free agency rights last year meant he left the Kangaroos – where he played 71 games for only eight wins – to join the club he supported as a kid.
Ben’s decision to leave North Melbourne caused some heartache, mainly because Peter said his son was always so eager to please people.
“It was a very tough six month period when he was leaving,” Peter said. “Ben doesn’t like change and he doesn’t like to upset people. But he knew if he was ever to reach somewhere near his potential, he needed to make a change.”
The McKay kids with their grandfather (Peter's dad). Hannah, Harry, Ian (grandfather), Charlie and Ben.
IF THE SHOE FITS
Mirror-image twins describe a characteristic of some twins whose features appear asymmetric – on opposite sides.When such twins face each other, it can sometimes appear as if they are looking in the mirror.
That’s the case with the McKay twins, right down to their feet
As Ben explained: “I wear a (size) 14 (shoe/boot) on my left and a (size) 13 on my right, and Harry wears a 13 on his left and a 14 on his right.”
Harry added: “We get a pair of (size) 13 and (size) 14 from Puma and we take one of each. It’s a bit different, but it works.”
Personality-wise, the boys are a little different, though with the same family values.
“I think Ben has always been a little quieter and a bit more reserved. But deep down I think values-wise, we are pretty similar,” Harry said. “But I have a bit better sense of humour.”
Ben added: “We’re identical twins and it probably frustrates us sometimes that we see the same things and have the same interests. That’s probably why we clash a bit.
“But it’s probably pretty cool to have someone who sees the same things and likes doing the same things, so to Harry’s point, we’re very similar.”
The twins are forever linked.
SUNDAY SHOWDOWN
Harry and Ben have collectively played 202 AFL games – with the Carlton forward having played 119 games and the now Essendon defender 83.Sunday night marks the first time they will have played against each other at AFL level.
The good-natured ribbing has been going on for a number of years now, with Ben once claiming he would never play on his brother because “I normally take the best forward.”
Harry responded: “Ben might be playing in the twos then.”
We’ve had to wait for it for so long now that the anticipation has built to a significant level and it comes at a time when both are playing near the peak of their powers.
Harry is already a Coleman medallist, but his value to the Blues in tandem with his key position partner in the forward line Charlie Curnow is as strong as ever in the club’s pursuit of a drought-breaking premiership.
The McKay brothers will play key roles in Sunday’s blockbuster. (Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)
He joked this week that Ben better line up on him this week as Charlie might kick 10 on him.
But he also knows that Ben is in the best form of his career, too, having settled in perfectly at Essendon.
Ben has played a key role in the Bombers’ outstanding season so far, and if Essendon can beat Carlton on Sunday, it will mean he has played in more wins (nine) for his new club in one season as he did in his entire time at North Melbourne (eight).
“I am sure there will be a bit of banter,” Harry said.
Ben added: “Deep down, as twins, you’ve been together for your whole lives, and you develop a love of each other. That will always be the case.”
But, given their competitive natures, and the high stakes for both clubs, both will bring a spare pair of contact lenses … just in case.
mcgrath_truther
AAAAAAAAAAARGH!
didn’t know they both wore contact lenses, that’s pretty interesting.A bit long but a great read
Ben and Harry McKay finally set to face off when Essendon and Carlton collide at the MCG
You could be forgiven for thinking the McKay brothers’ clash in the AFL would never happen. GLENN MCFARLANE chats to the McKay family about what makes Ben and Harry’s clash so anticipated.
It’s the AFL match-up the McKay family have been looking forward to – and in part nervous about – for the best part of a decade.
Ben and Harry McKay – mirror-image twins who have shared a birthday, a bedroom for the first 14 years of their lives, a passion for footy, and to this day every pair of new shoes – will finally square off in an AFL match when Essendon and Carlton meet in Sunday night’s King’s Birthday eve clash before more than 90,000 fans.
They first competed, far from the madding crowds, in the yard of their one-time family home in Warragul. The audience then sometimes consisted of their parents Peter and Tracey, their eldest sister Hannah and younger brother Charlie, or even a few mates.
Sparse crowds saw them play two VFL games against each other – the first at opposite ends of the ground in 2016, then a second encounter in 2018 when Ben got the chance to play in defence on Harry as North Melbourne’s VFL side took on Carlton’s VFL affiliate.
Selection and form in their development years, then injuries and circumstances beyond their control in the years since have kept them apart from a highly anticipated sibling showdown.
Until now!
The showdown between the McKay brothers is finally here. Picture: David Caird
It came to a point where Harry once said during the crowd-free Covid years: “I guess the universe just doesn’t want us to play against each other in front of no crowds.”
Now, more than 3000 days since they were drafted 11 selections apart in the 2015 national draft, it is fitting that a packed MCG house will witness their first AFL clash opposed to each other, with Ben now playing with Essendon, the club both boys barracked for as kids.
Ben told the Sunday Herald Sun this week: “We have obviously done everything together all of our lives … so hopefully on Sunday we cross paths.”
Harry added: “It will be a bit strange actually playing against Ben and seeing him in an Essendon jumper. It’s going to be fun.”
The McKay family will be in an MCG corporate box riding every bump and contest, with Tracey in dual Carlton-Essendon scarfs and Peter in his favourite Christmas jumper. The boys’ siblings will be there too.
“Tracey will go with the two scarfs (Essendon and Carlton); I’m going with my ugly Christmas jumper, which doesn’t have any red, black, blue or white in it,” Peter told us.
“I will be completely neutral.
“Growing up, every bloody chip had to be counted to make sure it was even on the plate.
“We hadn’t really been looking forward to it to this point, but we are more comfortable now. They are better placed to deal with it now; they are more mature and stable. There will be bigger things for them to worry about when the ball is actually bounced.”
Childhood photos of Ben and Harry McKay.
Peter’s father, Ian, 87, will also be there, as the source of the family’s original passion for the Bombers, while grandmother Valda, will be watching every moment unfold on television.
Peter and Tracey will never forget that April 2018 day when the boys lined up on each other at VFL level. Ben had 10 disposals to Harry’s seven, but conceded two goals.
“They have had the same stigma (in their eyes) and have been wearing (contact lenses) since they were about 11 or 12,” Peter explained.
“In that game (in 2018), as Ben was running down to full back and Harry was at full forward, someone kicked a goal. They started bumping each other. Jed Lamb, who was Harry’s teammate at the time, came in and gave Ben a bit of a whack on the head. It wasn’t a nasty incident, but Ben’s contact lens was knocked out.
“Ben hadn’t taken any spare lenses that day. Harry felt a bit guilty and he snuck off before the ball was bounced and got a spare one out of his bag, because they had the same script.”
CHRISTMAS EVE BABIES
Ben beat Harry into the world by one minute, partly because the delivering doctor was about to go on holiday.
It was Christmas Eve 1997.
“Ben was only older because they were both a caesarean section … they had to drag someone out first,” Peter said.
“The reason they were pulled out by the doctor on Christmas Eve was partly because the doctor was about to go on holiday, but also because Ben was underweight and Harry was overweight. So there was not an equal distribution of food going on there.
“Ben actually spent the first couple of weeks of his life in an incubator, nothing too serious, but they were just monitoring him.
“One of the ways to tell them apart for the first 18 months or so was that Harry was the more rounded one and Ben was always the smaller one.”
The boys were Peter and Tracey’s second and third children, and their parents were determined to ensure both had the opportunity to enjoy the birthday and Christmas experiences.
“We didn’t tell them for the first few years that they were born right on Christmas … they used to have a party around the second week of December,” Peter said.
“They probably didn’t know (the real date) until they were about probably nine or ten. We just wanted to make sure they had their time in the sun as Christmas is a special time.”
Ben recalled this week: “Mum and dad always did a great job of (separating birthdays with Christmas). It was still fun. It ended up being the best two of the days back to back.”
Identical twins Harry and Ben McKay have remarkably never faced each other in the AFL.
ALWAYS ON THE GO
Harry concedes that he and Ben were so endlessly active in their early years that it can’t have been easy for their parents.
Ben added: “Mum and dad must have had their work cut out.”
“We grew up in Gippsland and our first property had 10 acres I think, so we had plenty of space to run around and kick the footy and play cricket.
“Harry and I were the sporty ones and Charlie and Hannah were more academically gifted.”
There was one saving grace, as Peter detailed: “They were exhausted and in bed with a stomach full of food by eight o’clock.
“From the time they got up, they were go, go, go. They didn’t have many interests outside of sport. They had a few music lessons at school as well, but generally there was an in-built energy that didn’t lend itself to sitting at a piano stool.”
Their dad built goalposts at home which the boys almost wore out.
Looking back now, Peter couldn’t be happier that he did it: “Imagine, for whatever reason, you just don’t get around to doing it (building the goals). But I loved footy as much as they did. It was therapeutic for me to kick the footy on the weekends with the kids … backwards and forwards. They were fanatical about it.”
Harry added: “We spent hours and hours out there … They are some of my best memories.”
Ben was always the protective one whenever blood was spilt.
“When I was about eight or nine, we had a hay bale and there was one bit of concrete on the property and I managed to fall off and split my head open,” Harry said.
“Ben didn’t quite understand the severity of it. So he just ran inside and grabbed a couple of tissues and brought them out to me. I’m not sure the tissues were going to fix it.”
Ben added: “Mum was inside and I thought she would have cracked it. I thought I would try to protect him and downplay it a bit and deal with it ourselves.”
The tissues didn’t quite do the trick. Harry ended up getting some stitches in hospital after their mum “caught onto us.”
The two brothers were always active as kids.
BARRACKING FOR THE BOMBERS
One of the family’s favourite photos is one of four McKay siblings in their Essendon jumpers along with their grandfather Ian.
Ian grew up as a kid in the stationmaster’s house in Berwick. Fortuitously, his older sister ‘Les’ moved down to Melbourne, and lived close to Essendon’s then Windy Hill home.
“My dad’s beloved sister was boarding in Essendon,” Peter recounted. “She used to go to Windy Hill and my dad used to visit her and go to the footy to watch John Coleman (Essendon’s legendary full forward). That’s how we became Bombers’ fans.”
While Peter and Tracey will be neutral on Sunday night, Harry and Ben’s grandfather won’t be so partisan.
“He’s so proud of the boys,” Peter said. “My only concern about Sunday night is that he (Ian) is not very good in mixed footy company.
“He’ll be barracking for the boys, and Essendon.”
Ben and Harry watched the Bombers’ 1984 and ‘85 premiership pack almost as much as the Wiggles when growing up, according to their father.
Ben said: “We all grew up supporting Essendon, but once you are drafted to a club you are obviously invested into that club.”
Harry was taken by Carlton at pick 10 in the 2015 draft, while Ben went to North Melbourne at pick 21.
Ben’s decision to exercise his free agency rights last year meant he left the Kangaroos – where he played 71 games for only eight wins – to join the club he supported as a kid.
Ben’s decision to leave North Melbourne caused some heartache, mainly because Peter said his son was always so eager to please people.
“It was a very tough six month period when he was leaving,” Peter said. “Ben doesn’t like change and he doesn’t like to upset people. But he knew if he was ever to reach somewhere near his potential, he needed to make a change.”
The McKay kids with their grandfather (Peter's dad). Hannah, Harry, Ian (grandfather), Charlie and Ben.
IF THE SHOE FITS
Mirror-image twins describe a characteristic of some twins whose features appear asymmetric – on opposite sides.
When such twins face each other, it can sometimes appear as if they are looking in the mirror.
That’s the case with the McKay twins, right down to their feet
As Ben explained: “I wear a (size) 14 (shoe/boot) on my left and a (size) 13 on my right, and Harry wears a 13 on his left and a 14 on his right.”
Harry added: “We get a pair of (size) 13 and (size) 14 from Puma and we take one of each. It’s a bit different, but it works.”
Personality-wise, the boys are a little different, though with the same family values.
“I think Ben has always been a little quieter and a bit more reserved. But deep down I think values-wise, we are pretty similar,” Harry said. “But I have a bit better sense of humour.”
Ben added: “We’re identical twins and it probably frustrates us sometimes that we see the same things and have the same interests. That’s probably why we clash a bit.
“But it’s probably pretty cool to have someone who sees the same things and likes doing the same things, so to Harry’s point, we’re very similar.”
The twins are forever linked.
SUNDAY SHOWDOWN
Harry and Ben have collectively played 202 AFL games – with the Carlton forward having played 119 games and the now Essendon defender 83.
Sunday night marks the first time they will have played against each other at AFL level.
The good-natured ribbing has been going on for a number of years now, with Ben once claiming he would never play on his brother because “I normally take the best forward.”
Harry responded: “Ben might be playing in the twos then.”
We’ve had to wait for it for so long now that the anticipation has built to a significant level and it comes at a time when both are playing near the peak of their powers.
Harry is already a Coleman medallist, but his value to the Blues in tandem with his key position partner in the forward line Charlie Curnow is as strong as ever in the club’s pursuit of a drought-breaking premiership.
The McKay brothers will play key roles in Sunday’s blockbuster. (Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)
He joked this week that Ben better line up on him this week as Charlie might kick 10 on him.
But he also knows that Ben is in the best form of his career, too, having settled in perfectly at Essendon.
Ben has played a key role in the Bombers’ outstanding season so far, and if Essendon can beat Carlton on Sunday, it will mean he has played in more wins (nine) for his new club in one season as he did in his entire time at North Melbourne (eight).
“I am sure there will be a bit of banter,” Harry said.
Ben added: “Deep down, as twins, you’ve been together for your whole lives, and you develop a love of each other. That will always be the case.”
But, given their competitive natures, and the high stakes for both clubs, both will bring a spare pair of contact lenses … just in case.
i’m excited for this match up, hope ben wears him like a glove
It'll be fascinating to see how in tune with each other they are.
mcgrath_truther
AAAAAAAAAAARGH!
i'll be keeping an eye out for them swapping jumpers everytime they come onto the ground. expecting 50% gametime from each of them today
- Apr 15, 2013
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Watch how many thumps on the back come from the opposition from now on 
Would have to say Ben took the chocolates in their first outing.
mcgrath_truther
AAAAAAAAAAARGH!
held him to a goal from a free kick which was there
Zach Package
Prespakis2Tsatas
Been a bit down of late but he was back to eating everything that came his way tonight. Huge game
ant555
The Oracle
- May 4, 2004
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Good to see him holding onto his marks this week. He was starting to get concrete mitts for a few weeks there.
- Jul 16, 2013
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Had the bad kick to start the game but then was a rock after that.
When he has his marking going he is bloody good.
When he has his marking going he is bloody good.
- Feb 12, 2010
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I'd prefer he kick it 15-16m
Reasonable suggestion
Happyskeret
Club Legend
- Jul 2, 2022
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I just watched the replay. I noticed Ben had about 4 efforts over the game where he had to back into the contest to either take the mark or kill the contest. Those sorts of contests you know you are going to cop it but it didn’t stop him from doing the same thing the next time. You could see he got crunched a couple of times too. Played a good big man’s game.
