ON Sunday, local teenager Solomon McKay will not only get the chance to live out his dream – but he’ll also have the opportunity to do it in front of his friends, family and hometown supporters when the Bendigo Pioneers play the Calder Cannons in Swan Hill.
Joining McKay will be fellow Central Murray and Golden Rivers Football Netball League players Lachlan Wright, Nyawi Moore and Patrick Kelly in donning the Pioneers guernsey, with the quartet having the rare opportunity to play NAB League football in their own region.
With free entry, it’s hoped a big crowd will be in attendance to welcome the next generation of potential AFL stars to Swan Hill – with McKay struggling to contain his excitement at the opportunity to showcase his talents on Sunday when he spoke with The Guardian earlier this week.
“I’m really looking forward to it – firstly I don’t have to travel to Melbourne or Bendigo to play, but mostly it will be just nice to play in front of a few people who don’t often get to watch, like my nan and pop and all of my mates as well,” McKay said.
“I think it’ll be good to have a few of my Bendigo mates come up here and play in my home town for once, too.”
The path to the NAB League has been an unconventional one for McKay, who is in his first season of NAB League football with the Bendigo Pioneers. The Year 12 student from MacKillop College is proof that perseverance pays off after missing out on a number of representative sides throughout his junior days.
Those knockbacks along the journey have only served to steel the resolve of the young midfielder who, now that he’s living his dream, isn’t about to waste the opportunity.
“I’ve never really been part of the Pioneers’ system until this year and I’d always thought I’d do just about anything just to be in the squad – but now I’m here I’m just loving being a part of it,” McKay said.
“I know opportunities like this don’t always come around, so I’m just trying to grab it with both hands and enjoy it while I can.
“I was probably a bit of a late bloomer and was always pretty skinny and small and it probably wasn’t too hard to push me around, but then I was lucky enough to have a bit of a growth spurt and grew a bit taller.
“I’m just grateful for the chance I’ve been given and even though my pathway hasn’t necessarily been the most traditional one to this point, I’m still just enjoying the opportunity nonetheless.”
McKay has wasted no time in impressing in his three NAB League games so far – with the Tyntynder footballer immediately looking like a seasoned veteran at the higher level. In fact, McKay has impressed so much in his short time with the Pioneers, he has already caught the eye of a handful of AFL recruiters – including Essendon, who recently invited him to train with their VFL side.
It won’t just be a big weekend for McKay though, as the local football community gets the chance to not only see some of the country’s elite junior players in action – but also promote the Swan Hill region in the process – according to AFL Victoria Participation Co-Ordinator David Alderuccio.
“It’s a massive weekend, not only for Swan Hill, but also for footy in the region – it’s just great to be able to showcase such a fantastic game in front of our locals who probably haven’t had the opportunity to see a lot of this standard of footy,” Alderuccio said.
“But it’s great not only for the locals to watch, but also for the local players who will potentially be playing.
“We’d love to have it as a regular event – but the game wouldn’t be here without the support of the Swan Hill Rural City Council and the Swan Hill Football Netball Club, if they didn’t come through then we wouldn’t be here talking about it that’s for sure.”
