McCarthy, from Bordertown, South Australia, was recruited from Glenelg to Geelong in the 2011 National Draft with pick 66. He made his debut in round 10, 2012, against Greater Western Sydney at Kardinia Park.[1] It was his sole game for the 2012 season; he did not play in the 2013 season after undergoing foot surgery. McCarthy played four games in 2014, struggling with a back injury. He suffered another foot injury in 2015. McCarthy played 19 games in 2016 before he was struck down by hip and groin problems in 2017. He played two games in 2018[2] and was traded to Brisbane at the conclusion of the 2018 season.[3]
^The 2020 season was played with 17 home-and-away matches per team (down from 22) and 16-minute quarters with time on (down from 20-minute quarters with time on) due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.