Australian Football

After a promising junior career which included under-age football with Central District, Luke McCabe joined Hawthorn where he made his AFL debut in 1995. Initially a midfielder, he developed into a hard running, hard hitting defender or tagger under the astute coaching of Ken Judge. There was nothing ostentatious or prepossessing about his play, but he was almost invariably effective. In 1998 he ran second to Shane Crawford in the Hawks' best and fairest voting. Later in his career he was handicapped by shoulder problems, but still performed efficiently when selected.

In 2004, after managing just half a dozen AFL games for the year, McCabe left Hawthorn, having played a total of 138 games and kicked 12 goals. The 2005 season saw him lining up with his original club Central District whom he helped claim that year's senior grade SANFL flag. He continued with the Bulldogs in 2006, spent the 2007 season with Hamley Bridge, and then returned for one final season with Centrals in 2008 which included involvement in another premiership. The SANFL phase of McCabe's career comprised 58 senior games.

Author - John Devaney