Yet, with a three month stint on the sidelines and the team fading in form, the thought never crossed Mackay’s mind.
If anything, during his rehabilitation he used the hope of playing later in the season as motivation.
“I knew that I was able to get a couple of months into myself if I got back in time so I certainly never really thought about that at all,” said Mackay, who had played 55 AFL games entering the 2011 season.
“It was always about trying to get back and playing some good footy towards the end of the year.”
The resilience the 23-year-old wingman showed paid off as he fought his way back into the AFL from round 15 before a tendon issue in his knee left him in the stands for a further two games.
Mackay eventually rejoined his teammates with a stellar performance against the Suns in round 22, gathering 28 disposals, seven inside 50s and four goal assists. He was quieter on the weekend against Richmond but has set high personal expectations.
“That’s sort of the level, I guess a bit of a bench mark level, that I try to set every week (versus Suns) so it was good to reach that after such a difficult year,” he said.
Known for his running ability and silky ball use, he is building another dimension to his game and impressing fans with an added hardness, an area he’s always been conscious of improving.
“I suppose it was a bit of a deficiency of mine when I first got to the club so it’s something I’ve always tried to work on and get better at,” said Mackay.
“I think I’m making inroads in that area and Neil Craig was the guy that helped me in that area, so I’m thankful for what he did for me.”
To complement Mackay’s new found attack on the ball has been a drive to kick goals after switching to a more offensive role this year.
The slight change has resulted in a more flexible player, which he says is an essential attribute to carry with the AFL’s new sub rule in place.
“With the sub rule and that you have to be able to play three or four positions each week, you don’t generally get stuck in one position,” he said.
“You’ve got to be pretty versatile so that’s something you’re always trying to work on and improve.”
Mackay, often considered a quiet achiever, is also keen to develop his leadership standing amongst the playing group.
While he acknowledges it’s not a skill that comes naturally to him, he has come to realise he can positively influence other people.
“I’m hopeful that in a few years time I’ll be at a level where I can have a really strong influence on the group and that’s something I want to improve over time,” he said.
In his fifth year at Adelaide, Mackay describes his personality as “no fuss” and he’s happy to continue cruising under the radar.
“I suppose there are a lot of characters around the footy club and I’m happy to just be amongst it and watch those guys make fools of themselves,” he said with a laugh.
With the season coming to a close his goal moving forward is to have an uninterrupted pre-season.
“Whenever I’ve managed to do a full pre-season I’ve managed to have a pretty good year so that’s going to be the focus,” said Mackay.
“I need to make sure that from day one I’m ready to go and give myself the best chance to play a full year next year and that’s my one goal.”
