David MacKay Biography

Hawthorn coach Sam Mitchell has spent the past week in New Zealand with a group of assistant coaches and star players ahead of the start of pre-season.

Free agent signing Josh Battle headed across the Tasman with the club's past two Peter Crimmins Medallists – Jai Newcombe and Will Day – along with Kade Simpson and David Mackay.

The group spent time inside the two most successful organisations in Super Rugby history, visiting the Crusaders in Christchurch and the Blues in Auckland.

They also met with coaches and officials at NRL franchise New Zealand Warriors while on the North Island.

New Zealand Cricket and Rowing New Zealand were also stops on the itinerary, with the Hawks searching for incremental gains after returning to September this year for the first time since 2018.

David Mackay will play his 248th and final match for Adelaide this weekend against North Melbourne at Adelaide Oval, leaving him ninth on the club's all-time games list.

"I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to have represented the club, and have always worn our jumper with pride," Mackay said.

"To all my teammates, coaches and the staff of this great club, thank you. I am privileged to have met and worked with so many amazing people."

David Mackay is cleared of any wrongdoing by the Tribunal for his bone-crunching collision with Hunter Clark.

Clark suffered a broken jaw from the incident and the AFL's legal counsel had recommended a minimum three-game suspension for Mackay.

"We never asserted that David Mackay set out to hurt Hunter Clark but we did consider that he acted carelessly and unreasonably in the circumstances," AFL football boss Steve Hocking said.

"The AFL will not hesitate to take action where the health and safety of players is impacted or at risk."

David Mackay signs a one-year deal with the Crows to remain at the club in 2020.

"David had one of his best seasons and his attitude, preparation and training standards are always first class," Crows list manager Justin Reid said.

"We see him making a valuable contribution both on and off the field next year."

David Mackay signs a new contract with Adelaide to play on for a 13th season in 2019.

"Adelaide has been my home for a large period of my life and my family and I could not be happier," Mackay said.

"I am enjoying my footy as much as ever and the club is well placed for success going forward. Importantly, this playing group is united and determined and I am thrilled to be part of it."

On the eve of his 200th game, out-of-contract David Mackay says he is keen play on in 2019 and beyond.

"I certainly feel like there's more I want to contribute and achieve and I certainly have the drive to keep going and contribute where I can," Mackay said.

David Mackay will be sidelined for four weeks due to rib cartilage damage sustained in the Crows' win over West Coast at Adelaide Oval.

Mackay was scheduled to play his 200th game for the Crows in next Thursday night's round 17 clash with Geelong, but his milestone be put on the backburner for now.

Josh Caddy will miss Richmond's round three clash against Hawthorn after accepting a one-match suspension for striking Adelaide's David Mackay.

Caddy collected Mackay in the head with an ill-directed round-arm spoil during the fourth quarter of the Tigers' 36-point loss at the Adelaide Oval.

David Mackay will miss up to a month with a hamstring strain.

"David experienced hamstring soreness in the second half of Saturday night’s match and sat out the last quarter," Crows general manager of high performance Brett Burton said.

"Unfortunately, further assessment has revealed a hamstring strain that will keep him sidelined for 3–4 weeks."

On the eve of his 150th game, David Mackay says applying pressure on the opposition has been one of the biggest areas for improvement in his game.

''When I first started, I probably didn't have the ability to lay lots of tackles and put a lot of pressure on," Mackay said.

"That's something I've really worked hard on in my game, so it can be a strength and one thing I can really contribute to the team.''

Mackay admits that he lacked consistency in 2015, something he has already improved on so far in 2016.

"I played reasonably well one week, then I would drop off for a week or two," Mackay said of his 2015 season.

''It kept going like that as the year panned out. 'Ultimately, I wasn't having the impact I needed to have and that's why the form tapered off.''

David Mackay says he has been working on improving his work around the contests in 2016.

"I've done a lot of work over the summer in that sort of role and really loved the opportunity to get inside a bit more at centre bounces and through the midfield," he said.

"It allows you to hunt the ball a bit more … when you expose yourself to different roles it gives you those different opportunities."

David Mackay is fighting to remain part of the club's finals plans, having been dropped this weekend for his first SANFL game in more than two years.

Mackay's form has tapered off significantly in 2015, and after spending the past fortnight as the sub, Crows assistant coach David Teague said the 27-year-old was simply not in the club's best team.

"Could he come in and play a sub role, could he come in and play? We've got belief that he can come in and play both of those roles, but at the moment he's not in our best 22," Teague said.

"He's got areas to work on - it's just that when we're picking our best 22 he's just not in it.

"His consistency … for (individual) quarters he's done it really well, but we're looking for four quarters."

Adelaide midfielder David Mackay says he has no issues with Bernie Vince's tough tagging tactics on Patrick Dangerfield during Saturday's Crows-Demons clash.

"Bernie's a smart player and knows how to get under people's skin … he had a role and I'm sure they (the Demons) would have been pleased with how he executed his role," Mackay said.

"Bernie had a great time at the Adelaide footy club and was much-loved by players and supporters but he's obviously moved on now."

David Mackay resists the lure of free agency and signs a four-year deal with the Crows.

Mackay had the option of a third year (2015) on his existing deal but his new contract will see him remain at West Lakes until at least the end of 2018.

"I've spent a big part of my life at Adelaide and I'm really excited to be spending a bit more time here," Mackay said.

"I'll most likely be a one-club player now and that's pretty special to me.

"In the end I couldn't envisage myself playing with any other club, so in that sense it was a pretty easy decision.

"From what I can see, all the ingredients are here for something special and I certainly want to be part of it."

Adelaide has begun negotiations to ensure speedy wingman David Mackay plays for the Crows next season.

Mackay signed a three-year contract at the end of season 2012, but it contained a trigger clause that had to be met for him to play on at the Crows in 2015.

"We've certainly started the process of communications with his management group … we're just at that point when we're starting to catch up," Adelaide list manager David Noble said.

"I don't think either party has any real issue about him continuing to go on [at Adelaide], from our side we hope.

"There's a clause in his contract and we'd like to think that he's going to stay."

Adelaide re-signs promising wingman David Mackay after rumoured interest from Melbourne.

"There was never any issue with David's contract, it was just about getting the timing right for him," Adelaide football operations manager Phil Harper said.

"It still is very pleasing to get it done before the finals so he can focus on that. He is an outstanding young man and very talented footballer who is an extremely valuable member of our team."

David Mackay says Adelaide's pain from its recent unsuccessful finals campaigns is inspiring the Crows in 2012.

"In 2009 when we played finals we felt like we had a good enough side to really challenge and we got kicked out in the semi-finals when we probably should have gone a bit further," Mackay said.

"That's something that the guys who were involved in that and also '05 and '06, who are in the side today, are going to draw on coming up this year.

"They understand the chances are few and far between to play in finals and you really need to make the most of it."

Ben Rutten and David Mackay have re-signed with Adelaide beyond the 2011 season.

"Both are key players for the club now and into the future and in discussion they were both excited about the long-term prospects of the current group of players," football operations manager Phil Harper said.

"There are several other players we are in discussion with at the moment and the club will advise whenever any of these contract negotiations are finalised."

David Mackay is the latest Adelaide player to succumb to injury, with groin soreness to keep him out of Friday night's match against the Bulldogs.

"The six day break made it hard for him and we didn't want to risk more damage, so he won't be available," Adelaide coach Neil Craig.

Scott Stevens is still unable to take his place in the Crows side after suffering a concussion during the Crows loss to Fremantle in round 1.

"Stevo just seems to pull up really badly from concussion and heavy knocks. The same thing happened last year when he got that knock early in the season," teammate David Mackay said.

"It seemed to knock him around a bit for the next few weeks. I guess it's just something that, with his make-up, his body struggles to deal with."

Young Adelaide midfielder David Mackay warns his side still has improvement in it after six straight wins.

''We've got a lot of work to do, but we're improving. If we can keep improving at this rate, we'll be pretty happy,'' he said.

Adelaide midfielder David Mackay says he is better prepared for the second half of the season this year compared to 2008.

"It's always good to have a bit of a break, but the body is actually feeling really good and I'll be raring to go in the second half of the year," Mackay said.

"You definitely notice the difference between your first full season and your second. You get that bit more experience and your body learns how to cope with the workload.

"Your preparation improves and you get a bit wiser. I've learned a lot of things from my first two years and I've taken that into this year."