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BEN McKay's "whirlwind" few months started in May, when he was convinced the only way he would be drafted this year was by leaving local footy behind and returning to the TAC Cup.

The exciting ride looks likely to end with McKay's name being called by an AFL club at November's intake.

"I haven't wrapped my head around it at all," McKay told AFL.com.au. "It's a bit surreal."

That's the case for most players on the cusp of AFL careers, but probably more so for McKay given how this year has unfolded for the 200cm key forward.

After playing in the under-18s team for Warragul last year in Victoria's southeast with his identical twin brother Harry, both were invited to train with the Gippsland Power in November.

But Ben didn't feel like he had earned the call-up to their extended pre-season squad.

"I thought I only got an invite on the back of Harry," he said. "I had that mindset during the first part of pre-season and I didn't feel like I belonged there."

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It was the first time the pair had been involved in the Power's talent pathway. They had grown up wanting to play AFL and be drafted – they used to spend most afternoons after school in their 11-acre backyard playing kick-to-kick.

"Harry would win the battle one night and I'd get him the next," McKay said.

However, they found their introduction to the elite underage system challenging. Ben got through four months of training and kept making each cut like Harry, but when it got down to a weekend camp in February, Ben decided it wasn't for him and pulled out of the program.

"There was a camp at Mt Hotham and I was in the 25 that got invited to go. I'd been in contact with [coach] Leigh Brown about not being sure if I wanted to stay at the Power. I thought I had to stop messing him around and just let it go," McKay said.

"Harry was definitely pushing me to stick at it. It was our first year in the whole program and we probably needed each other there for support. I wanted to stay to be there with him, but it didn't turn out that way, at least at first."

He left and went back to Warragul and played in its senior team, and on days he wasn't playing, he went to watch Harry represent the Power. Harry kicked four goals in his first TAC Cup game of the year, got picked in Vic Country's under-18 state team and caught the eye as a member of its division-one winning team.

Harry, like Ben, is 200cm and a key forward whose athleticism sets him apart. For Ben, his brother's success and rise up the draft board was enough to get him thinking about returning to the Power's program.

"Being a twin brother, we've always been competitive, so seeing him get a couple of kicks in the champs, I thought if he was doing it there was no reason why I couldn't have been doing it as well. That was a little bit of a trigger and turning point for me," he said.

At one of Harry's games, he met Winston Rous, a player agent with Phoenix Management Group. Rous asked Ben what he was doing with his footy and why he wasn't out there as well, and a couple of weeks later he signed on with Rous and Essendon great Scott Lucas as his managers.

On the drive to their offices at Etihad Stadium, McKay knew what they were going to tell him.

"They said 'this year if you want to get drafted the only way is to join Gippsland Power'. I got over myself and realised it was the best thing to do. I needed that extra two or three months to mature a bit and find that self-belief," he said.


The Power welcomed him back, but Brown made him train for four weeks before he was up for selection. He played his first game in round 10 of the TAC Cup season, and was nervous, but gradually he got used to the level and felt more comfortable.

He played nine more games with Gippsland, whose season finished with a loss in the elimination final last week. Against the Oakleigh Chargers in round 13 he was stationed across half-back and took five contested marks, and two weeks ago in slippery conditions he booted four goals up forward alongside Harry.

The pair has shared the experience of being interviewed by the 10 or so clubs that have come over to meet them, with most recruiters speaking to them together. Scouts are enthused by what they have seen from them: Ben is a little more physical and Harry a little more athletic, but both are promising.

Recruiters also know there is plenty of room for growth and development. The McKays turn 18 on December 24, meaning if they were born eight days later, they would be eligible for next year's draft.

After initially lacking the confidence to pursue a footy career, Ben is glad he made the decision to leave local football behind.

"I think about next year every day. It's hard not to think about what could happen at the end of the year. It's been a massive whirlwind for both of us," he said.

"We'd probably prefer not to go to the same club. When you're with your brother you find yourself focusing on him a bit and what he's doing, and worrying about him. But we'd both be happy just getting an opportunity."