Draft Diaries is back, this year following Vic Metro's Sophie McKay and Western Australia's Zippy Fish in their final season of junior footy. Both are eligible for the Telstra AFLW Draft at the end of the year, ahead of the 2025 season, with McKay a potential father-daughter signing at Carlton.

This is the third check-in with McKay, with one to come from draft night itself. Catch up on part one here, and part two here.

IT'S SAFE to say the second half of Sophie McKay's year hasn't gone to plan.

With Sandringham Dragons in the process of getting comfortably beaten by eventual premier Oakleigh Chargers in an elimination final (the final margin 53 points), McKay felt pain in her right shoulder.

She didn't realise it had subluxed (slipped in and out of its socket), and after leaving the ground, felt she was right to go again, keen to see out her final game in Dragons colours.

But a torn labrum (the cartilage which lines the socket) meant the joint was unstable, and she dislocated it again in the final quarter.

While McKay has managed to only miss the final few minutes of her year of footy, the subsequent surgery has had a wide-ranging impact.

Speaking to AFL.com.au just nine days post-operation, McKay was reduced to watching on at the Telstra AFLW Draft Combine, her arm strapped close to her torso in a red, surgical sling.

"Surgery was a huge, huge shock. I've never really had a big injury or surgery, and I think the biggest roadblock I faced was that I put in all the work for footy, and now I wanted to really focus on school," she said.

"And now, I've got this big issue that's really affected my school. It's hard, but I've got a good support system, and it's nothing I can do.

"I've just done my practice exams and heading into my real exams in the next month. And it's obviously my writing hand. So all my exams and all my studies now having to be done on my laptop. 

"I find myself (to be) a visual learner, and I like to do big mind maps, and all of a sudden I'm just typing sentences on a Word doc, so it does become a bit tedious, and it has been a really big roadblock.

"It does affect everything. I'm now able to feed myself, which is great. There were a couple of days where I couldn't feed myself. I can't tie my shoes, can't really put on clothes by myself. Can't tie my hair up, which is a huge one. My mum's not very good at doing hair, so I've had some questionable hairstyles in the last 10 days."

McKay said the surgeon "chuckled" at her scan results, such was the damage, and she's facing a six-month rehab.

"It was really confronting, because I've never really had an issue. I (badly) cut my hand making a ham sandwich, things like that. But never something so significant," she said.

"I got stressed about the fact I can't do any of these tests here at the Combine. But, you know, through the support, through Jess (Smith, head of talent), through Sarah (Godfrey, talent pathways wellbeing lead), they all reassured me that there's nothing I can do. 

"There's a lot of players in my position, a lot of players are injured, and to bring my presence and do the things I can. And (use) my loud voice."

McKay is eligible to join Carlton as a father-daughter selection, following in the footsteps of dad Andrew and sister Abbie. It's a decision which has to be made by November 18, with the draft to be held on December 16.

"It's a big decision, but one of my main goals was to have fun this year. So, I have kind of put it off for a while. I really wanted to play my brand of footy without kind of worrying what was ahead," McKay said.

"Now that I'm injured, and I have time to think and no more footy to play, I do have a lot to think about. As anyone can imagine, running out with my sister would be an absolute dream come true. 

"I've already got that connection to the club, but I just want to play football. I think it's so cool that I may have the opportunity to get paid to do the thing I love. So I'm happy to go anywhere.

"How I'm feeling about the draft – obviously, it's the closest it's ever been. I always say every time I feel like it's creeping closer, and literally, it's around the corner now, I think it's really exciting. 

"It's showing the growth of the AFLW, it's the first national draft, the first time – well, not in my situation – but people can't nominate, you're going where your name is called out. It is really exciting, but it's a bit daunting, obviously, no one has any control. And anything can happen on draft night, I've been told."

When it comes to her footy over the past few months – the tail end of the Coates Talent League season, the Marsh AFLW Under-18 Championships – McKay is pleased at how she has rounded out her game.

"I think when we last spoke (in June), I hadn't really capitalised on the biggest improvement in goal I had for my year, which was to work defensively," she said.

"I sat down with a couple of my coaches and realised that my defensive efforts [needed] more of a mental cue rather than a physical cue.

"I always thought maybe I just wasn't fit enough to run back. I really couldn't get to the bottom of it until I realised [I needed] a mental cue for myself to keep up with the line of play. I have that mental cue to work backwards, and it's really, really shown in my last couple of games, and that's probably what I'm most proud of.

"I do have a trigger word. It's an acronym, GGTFB – go get the f***ing ball. Ever since I've had that on my arm, I look down, and I think, 'Gotta get the ball'."