Known as the Bible of footy. First published in 1992, it has sold over 120,000 copies in total. When Ben McKay ran onto the ground for North Melbourne in the Round 23, 2017 game against Brisbane he would have felt the same sense of enthusiasm and uncertainty as the long list of footballers who have gone before him. Young Ben became the 12,580th man to appear in League football since the competition began way back in May 1897. As the last debutante for 2017 he faced a vastly different scenario in so many ways to those pioneers of 1897.