“This year was disappointing for me, I had hoped to play more AFL games,” McKinley told kangaroos.com.au after training on Monday.
“Obviously coming to a new club, you want to try and make an impression early on and playing AFL games is the best way to do that. But I had a lot of fun down at Werribee and I had a chance to really focus on the things I need to improve on.”
As a forward, consistency in front of goal is key and McKinley knows this area of his game needs some attention.
“Goal-kicking is one part of my game which I want to keep improving on. This year I was a bit inconsistent when I would have a game kicking five goals and five behinds. I want to turn that around and kick more accurately.
“The coaches have spoken a lot about defensive pressure being a massive part of the game these days so I’ve been working hard on that aspect as well.”
Since returning from his second trip to Utah, McKinley is seeing fitness gains and is determined to make the most of all his hard work.
“I’ve definitely noticed an improvement in my fitness since getting back. More so in my breathing and lung capacity than my body, I think because we’re getting hit up so hard in training sessions you don’t really feel better in the legs since you’re always tired.
“But when we do the running you feel that you could go longer and you need to keep the legs going. That’s why having a break over Christmas will freshen us up and I think I’ll notice the benefits a lot more when we get back from a short break.
“Endurance is one of the things I’ve never really had so it’s something I need to keep working on. That’s why Utah is really fantastic for my development.
“I think the mental challenges of Utah as well as the physical challenges are really beneficial to all of us.”
