Top footy star reveals the very surprising thing his AFL club does NOT supply its players with on game day

• Twin AFL stars Harry & Ben McKay compare their clubs  
• Ben revealed eyebrow-raising fact about Essendon 

By SHAYNE BUGDEN FOR DAILY MAIL AUSTRALIA and OLIVER CAFFREY FOR AUSTRALIAN ASSOCIATED PRESS

Footy star twin brothers Ben and Harry McKay have uncovered a very surprising difference between their AFL clubs in a revealing chat on their podcast that gave fans a behind-the-scenes look at what happens on game day.

Ben left North Melbourne for Essendon in 2024 and revealed one eyebrow-raising difference between the clubs saw him make a hilarious mistake for his first five matches with the club.

The brothers were discussing what they take to the ground with them on game day on their podcast when Ben surprised Harry by pointing out something the Bombers don’t hand out to their players. 

‘At Essendon, we have to bring our own socks,’ Harry said, leaving Ben obviously surprised.

‘I remember last year, because at North we had our socks provided, so the first five weeks of the year I always forgot and I had to ask the poor property guy, ‘Sorry mate, I’ve left my socks at home again’.’

Ben then went on to list what goes into his kit bag for a match.

Bombers star Ben McKay (pictured playing against Port Adelaide this year) has revealed the club doesn’t supply its players with socks on game day

McKay said the quirky equipment policy caught him out for weeks when he moved to Windy Hill from North Melbourne at the start of last season

‘Boots, two pairs of boots. I normally clean my boots the night before.

‘I’ve started bringing a massage gun, like a little golf ball to put under your feet.

‘Obviously a change of clothes and everything you need post-game.’

Harry then listed his must-haves on game day, including ‘a bit of food and hydration stuff’ before he pointed out the different treatment his Carlton club gives its stars.

‘Johnny, our property guy, we all put our boots the day before our captain’s run and he takes them and puts them in our locker, so you really don’t have to bring too much,’ he explained, before confirming the Blues provide socks.

Harry is currently the subject of heavy speculation after Carlton announced he’s set to miss his second straight match for personal reasons.

Carlton had previously ruled McKay out of facing Hawthorn due to an unspecified illness, later confirmed it was mental-health related.

The 27-year-old trained on Tuesday, but was absent from Carlton’s captain’s run on Wednesday.

Ben’s twin brother, Carlton star Harry (pictured) gets his socks arranged for him – and the Blues make sure their stars’ boots are cleaned too

Generally, only the players who are preparing to play in a match the next day will take part in such a session.

‘I probably won’t go into the ‘H’ stuff,’ Blue coach Michael Voss said earlier on Wednesday when asked about McKay’s availability.

‘I think the important thing for us is that we don’t get into dialogue weekly about where he’s at.

‘I think we’ve been pretty sound on our position as a club, that when he’s named in the team he’ll be ready to go.’

When pressed if he knew whether McKay would be ready, Voss repeated his previous answer.

‘I think as an industry, we have been really supportive, and I think for us that that’s where we need to stay right now,’ Voss added.

After a 0-3 start to the season, Carlton’s clash with their arch-rivals shapes as one of the most important matches of Voss’s four-year tenure at Ikon Park.

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Top footy star reveals the very surprising thing his AFL club does NOT supply its players with on game day

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