Carlton forward Harry McKay has admitted he deliberately exploited the set shot clock to run down the game in his side's thrilling five-point win over Essendon on King's Birthday Eve.
With 1:45 left on the clock and the game in the balance, McKay marked the ball roughly 60 meters from goal on the forward flank. He immediately signaled his intention to take a shot, triggering a sequence that would prove decisive.
"I always have a theory that late in the game, if you have a shot anywhere, somewhere within the 50, in theory you can go back and take your 30, and a little bit more." – Harry McKay to Fox Footy
McKay took an extended run-up, beginning his approach at 1:14 remaining and kicking the ball at 1:04 left. The ball fell short, landing in the goal square.
This left Essendon needing a goal from a kick-in with just 55 seconds remaining. They managed to score through Zach Reid, but after the subsequent center bounce, only nine seconds remained. The siren sounded before Essendon could score again.
Rules and Controversy
While players are allowed 30 seconds between a mark and beginning their run-up, McKay used 31 seconds. The distance of the kick—roughly 75 meters—was widely considered implausible.
- Commentator Gerard Whateley noted the umpire faces a challenge when a player declares a shot from such a distance.
- Former Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley stated umpires have previously indicated they would only enforce the 30-second shot clock if the man on the mark is inside 50.
Interim Essendon coach Dean Solomon described McKay as "smart" to "milk the clock."
"I think it was slightly ambitious to think I was gonna kick it from 75 but any time you can take a little bit of time off the clock late - we practice it a lot in training, so I'm glad it kinda worked." – Harry McKay
Broadcast Error
Fox Footy's broadcast timer froze during Essendon's transition after McKay's kick due to an error in the clock feed. The network reported no time was actually lost during the incident.
Background
The AFL had previously considered removing the shot clock for shots taken from outside 50 meters but ultimately did not implement the change.