BEING under pressure to make the team has been a fact of life for Andrew Mackie throughout his career.
 
It's why the 32-year-old is unlikely to attack 2017 with a different mindset to the one he has taken into each of his 14 years with the Cats.
 
Plenty are prepared to write him off but the determined veteran has never stopped surprising in his 257 matches.
 
He doesn't shirk the issue when questioned at a clinic in Bell Park as part of the Cats' Australia Post AFL Community Camp.
 
"I'm here to play footy like I was when I was 18," Mackie said.
 
"The mindset hasn't changed since the day I first got here. [I] always want to try to get the most out of myself."
 
But Mackie also intends to combine competing hard for available spots in the team with his characteristic team-first attitude.
 
He knows that football clubs evolve and the make-up of the group and roles individuals play within the team changes.
 
"Your form has to warrant you getting picked every week," Mackie said.
 
Mackie remains a key feature of the Cats' defence and will be a necessary cool head with Corey Enright retired.
 
But there are plenty of new faces emerging as potential defenders with Zach Tuohy, Jake Kolodjashnij and Jackson Thurlow ready to roll, and Tom Stewart and Tom Ruggles attempting to find a position in the back half.
 
One thing Mackie can guarantee is that the Cats need to be flexible enough to cover what the opposition throws in their direction.
 
"[I'm] not quite sure exactly how it is going to look," Mackie said.
 
"[It] won't be the same for many weeks in a row."