By Tony De Bolfo
Imagine you’re a 19 year-old country kid earning “Mr. Football” as your first opponent? This was the daunting prospect facing the former Carlton aerialist David McKay.
Somehow, the boy from Newlyn survived, emerging unscathed from his direct dealings with the late Ted Whitten, in a back pocket at the Western Oval in the wild and heady days of flower power.
It was the third round of 1969 – the first of McKay’s 263 games over a 13-season career for Carlton. And what a career – the premierships of 1970, 1972, 1979 and 1981 – the last of which he sealed with his final kick in footy.
A truly agile big man blessed with wonderful inflight judgement, McKay quickly became a crowd favourite – whether floating across the pack a la Royce Hart, or leaping high over three or four sets of shoulders to take yet another “specky”.
Curiously though, it wasn’t why he was earned the nickname “Swan”. That was afforded him by his fearsome former teammate Ricky McLean.
To hear David McKay reflect on his outstanding playing career in the latest of the “Our History” podcasts for carltonfc.com.au, click here.