Essendon’s Ben McKay has been the subject of much scrutiny as his side have slumped to a single win on the season so far.
It is fair to say that his performances have left a lot to be desired as the 28-year-old has struggled to live up to his big money contract.
He was axed from the Bombers side last week as he played for the reserves in the AFL.
And head coach Brad Scott was very complimentary of McKay’s handling of the situation, saying, ‘He played very well (in the reserves). He played with a bit of freedom.’
Some would suggest then, that it was safe to assume, just as Cameron Mooney did, that McKay would return to the side for their game against Fremantle.
Alas, that was not the case as Scott left him out of the side again, and it would seem no one told Mooney as he spoke about how great it was for Essendon to have McKay back in the side.
Cameon Mooney suffered an embarrassing gaffe on air when he asked how big of an impact Ben McKay’s return would be, only to be reminded that McKay wasn’t in the Essendon squad
Ben McKay was dropped from the Bombers’ squad last week following a run of poor performances
Brad Scott made the decision to not bring McKay back into the squad this week despite the glowing praise of his defender’s reaction to being sent to the VFL
Speaking to the Essendon coach on Fox before their loss to Freo, Mooney said, ‘Scotty, fantastic to have Benny McKay back in the team, you’re going to need him obviously with this three pronged attack that Fremantle have, we know how good they are scoring.
‘So what is he going to bring back and how’s the confidence?’
Cue the awkward scenes for everyone involved as Scott had to remind Mooney that McKay was, in fact, not part of the matchday squad for the second week running.
‘Well you might know something I don’t Moons, but Benny is not in the team today, but he played really well in the VFL last week,’ Scott responded.
Mooney could be forgiven for thinking that McKay would automatically make a return to the pitch against Freo, given how glowingly Scott spoke of the defender mid-week.
‘This is the balance that you work through in terms of trying to improve players. We felt it was best for Ben to go back and regain some form and belief in the VFL and he played very well,’ he said.
‘He performed well, and he set up young players around him really well. ‘He’s been terrific.
‘He’s disappointed, but I felt we were doing a disservice to him and to the team by continuing to play him in the senior team.
‘This just releases the shackles a little bit for him, and frees him up to go and do what he does best and focus on his strengths.
‘He’s handled that very, very well. He wants to get back in the senior team as soon as possible…we’ll do what’s best for him and the team.’
McKay’s squad status seemed to be a source of confusion across a number of media outlets.
It seems McKay was in fact named in the extended squad list for Sunday but eventually cut before kickoff.
