St Kilda small defender Daniel McKenzie says the competition and excitement is increasing by the session at Linen House Centre as the 2017 season draws closer.
McKenzie, 20, has been a standout on the track this summer, following up his impressive finish to 2016 – where he played seven of the last eight games – with his best pre-season yet.
With the Saints first JLT Community Series game only 23 days away, McKenzie explained how the anticipation has been building with players fighting for positions across every line.
“Competition is rising, it’s getting a bit more physical and everyone’s pretty excited for the games,” McKenzie told saints.com.au on Tuesday.
“We’re doing a bit more match simulation out in training, we’re just opening the ground up and being able to use the whole ground.”
On the back of a handful of off-season acquisitions – Koby Stevens, Jack Steele and Nathan Brown – plus the return of Jake Carlisle and the natural evolution of the list, McKenzie says the fierce competition is highly beneficial for the Saints’ progress.
Moving back to move forward
“We’re really building great depth and I guess it just makes spots harder to solidify and just means everyone has to work as hard as they can at training and increases everyone’s overall improvement,” McKenzie said.
After only managing two senior appearances in the first half of the season, McKenzie stormed home to play seven of the final eight games to build confidence and belief ahead of his third season in the AFL.
The athletic utility, who possesses both elite speed and endurance, is determined to pick up where he left off last season, starting in the pre-season competition which begins against Port Adelaide at Etihad Stadium on January 23.
“Just continue that form and get as many games under the belt as possible. Just to start off by playing as many of the community cup matches early on and hopefully progress through the season,” he said.
