Drafted by
Collingwood with the 31st selection in the
2007 National Draft, McCarthy was a midfielder. He made his debut late in the
2008 AFL season and held his position for the last six matches of the year, including two finals. He struggled to maintain his place in the Collingwood side in
2009 and
2010, playing only two games in each season due to poor form and injuries. In each year, however, he returned to the senior side at the end of the year, playing in the qualifying final in 2009 and being named as an emergency for the
2010 AFL Grand Final. He played eight games in 2011; however, he was not selected during the finals, being delisted by Collingwood at the end of the
2011 season. After training with
Richmond, he was drafted by
Port Adelaide in the
2012 pre-season draft, who had the selection before Richmond. He cemented his place in the Port side for the
2012 season, missing only one game for the year. ==Death==