'I had to put my hand up': Carlton star opens up on his mental health battle

Carlton star Harry McKay looks set to return at Gather Round after missing three weeks due to what he has now revealed to be mental health reasons.

The 27-year-old sat out of the last three AFL matches for the Blues, but did feature in the second-tier VFL competition last weekend, kicking two goals.

McKay has opened up about the mental health struggles that saw him step away from footy.

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"I guess five or six weeks ago, late February, I started feeling in not a great place mentally and I think the most challenging part of that was me thinking I shouldn't be feeling the way I was," McKay told the Harry and Ben podcast.

"Everything in my life was in such a great place ... most beautiful loving partner and family are so supportive, that's why it was really scary and irrational to feel like that and as that progressed I felt like I needed to put on a bit of a façade to pretend to be okay when I really wasn't.

"I had to put my hand up and say I needed some help. Since I did that, the support and the love has been so profound."

According to 9News Melbourne's Tom Morris, the towering forward will fly with his teammates to Adelaide and is expected to line up against West Coast.

"I can tell you Harry McKay will be on the plane tomorrow," he said on Wednesday.

"It's expected as of right now that he will be selected and then play against the Eagles."

It's a major boost for Carlton, who sit towards the bottom of the ladder and remain winless after four rounds, with pressure mounting on the club.

It looms as a must-win game for both sides, with the Eagles also failing to win so far this year.

Carlton will face West Coast in the early 1.20pm AEST timeslot on Saturday afternoon.