The first woman to play under the rule says her historic appearance for Carlton is part of the evolution of the league

The father-son rule has been a staple of the AFL for generations, helping to secure sons – and sometimes grandsons – for generational loyalty. As the AFLW continues its steady growth, it is a natural progression that the daughters of former players are now expanding this family tradition.

When 18-year-old Abbie McKay ran out onto GMHBA Stadium last weekend, she made history as being one half of AFLW’s first father-daughter team. Her father, Andrew, was part of the Blues’ dream squad of the 1990s, winning a premiership in 1995 and only just recently stepping down as the club’s head of football.

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Although her first game didn’t result in the win she and the Blues had hoped for, it has given the lifelong Carlton supporter-turned-player her first taste for the big-time game she grew up watching. “It’s very exciting and I had a lot of fun,” she says. “It was an honour to run out there in the navy blue.”

McKay has joined the midfield to add some grunt to Carlton’s line-up, which is still finding its feet after the squad was rebuilt following a disappointing 2018 season. She plays in the same No 5 jersey her father wore for 244 games with Carlton, including the club’s last premiership, “something that we can share in common”, she says.

In something of a role reversal on Saturday, the senior McKay watched on from the stands, although he played down the historical significance of the day. “It’s more [about] feeling pride in how well Abbie has done over a short period of time rather than any history-making,” he says. “It was a nice moment.”

The father-son tradition has been one of the defining traditions in the AFL since the 1950s, providing a connection with history and family that can otherwise be missing in today’s corporate game. Some of the best-known duos have played for the same club, sometimes even sharing the same number, include Ken and Dustin Fletcher (Essendon), Gary Ablett junior and senior (Geelong) and three generations of the Silvagni family at Carlton: Sergio, Stephen, Jack and Ben.

The first father-son pairing also came from Carlton, back in 1951, when Harvey Dunn Jr joined his father’s club and cemented a foundation for a beloved tradition. “It’s so cool and it’s obviously just another stepping stone in the evolution of the AFL,” McKay says. “It’s cool that we have the first father-son and the first father-daughter team.”

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Abbie and Andrew McKay during the 2018 AFLW draft at Marvel Stadium. Photograph: Quinn Rooney/Getty Images

Despite having a footballer for a father, MaKay’s arrival into the game came just four years ago. She played netball and basketball for years but it was her mother who influenced her decision to play, after she established a local club in the Melbourne suburb of Prahran in 2015.

“I did a little bit of Auskick was I was younger with my brother but I didn’t really play it much after that,” she says. “After my mum set up the club, I joined up with some of my friends and just went into it to have some fun. That’s how it started.”

What began simply as a way of spending time with friends quickly morphed into something bigger with the discovery of McKay’s hidden talent. She rapidly rose through the ranks and made her VFLW debut last year, in round 16, also for Carlton. Adding to her list of achievements are an appearance in the Under-18 national championships and a spot in the 2018 AFLW draft camp.

McKay senior, who played in the backline, says his daughter will be a more versatile player than he was, and although he does offer the occasional playing tips, both prefer to keep football out of their relationship.

McKay junior was among five players whose fathers previously played in the AFL, and who were considered for the 2019 draft pick. And while she’s the only one to have taken to the field so far, with the AFLW growing at lighting pace she is unlikely to carry that mantle on her own for long.

“Next year and the year after, there are going to be so many girls whose dads played who will be drafted into the AFLW and it’s going to be great for those families – and the game.”