Should North Melbourne let free agent Ben McKay walk to a rival club this off-season?
That’s the question that’s been posed given the Kangaroos could receive a high compensation pick if the key defender does depart for a hefty salary.
While he may need to attract an offer of more than $700,000 to garner that kind of return, McKay is a rare product in the AFL as a key defender with genuine potential.
Given his form has been indifferent since returning to the side from a foot injury in the past two weeks, SEN Sportsday’s Kane Cornes, Brad Johnson and Gerard Healy discussed what the Kangaroos should do come season’s end.
Cornes: “If he does leave and the compensation pick is a high pick, depending on where North finish, you're going to have pick one, two or three probably … plus the compensation pick, which could be top 10.”
Johnson: “Top 10 for McKay?”
Cornes: “That’s what they’re saying, yeah.”
Johnson: “I can't see that.”
Cornes: “Plus (they have) Port Adelaide’s pick.”
Healy: “It depends on which Ben McKay we're talking about.
“Is it the one 12 months ago where he was playing magnificent footy, or the one they’re talking about at the moment who is playing poor football.”
Cornes: “If you've got the two first round picks already plus the pick … to go with three great prospects from the draft again, on the back of what you did with (Harry) Sheezel and (George) Wardlaw last year, it's pretty hard to say no to that.”
Johnson: “Of course it is, of course it is.
“But if you can get a Ben McKay playing good for football like we saw last year then structurally that's hard, they (key defenders) are hard to come by.
“They are very hard to come by and when you've got one, you don't want to let them go too lightly.
“So, I get both sides of the of the argument here.
“But what I'm currently seeing from Ben McKay needs to change very, very quickly.
“Otherwise, if he's thinking about it, then he's hurting his own value within the AFL system.”
Healy: “Port Adelaide is said to be seriously involved.
“How many years would you give him as the advisor to Port Adelaide?”
Cornes: “I would advise them against going there.
“I would usher him out the door if I was North Melbourne and say, ‘Thanks, but it's a business and I'll take the top 10 draft pick for you’.”
Johnson: “Would you look at (Esava) Ratugolea before McKay?”
Healy: “They’ve already been down that path.”
Cornes: “No, I know that, but he was contracted.
“So now that he's out of contract, there might be a cleaner path to put Adelaide.
“It will cost you less, in terms of a wage and what you've got to pay him. So, yes, I would.
“And then I also have a real look at (Harry) Himmelberg and play him back instead of instead of McKay.
“I think that's a better prospect.”
As a restricted free agent, North Melbourne will have the option to match any offer that comes in for McKay.
McKay will hope to regain some form when North Melbourne face Melbourne at the MCG on Saturday night.