Alex McKinnon has finally called it a day with the Newcastle Knights.
The 29-year-old is currently the head of recruitment as well as the coordinator of Newcastle’s elite pathways program, however, McKinnon will be taking a well-earned break from these roles next week.
McKinnon has shown an interest in starting a degree in psychology, assisting him in the process of following his newest dream.
He told The Daily Telegraph that he wants to expand his horizons beyond the game of rugby league and become a mindset coach across an array or sporting codes and businesses.
“I really want to gain experience at other businesses or organisations by working with individuals who want to strengthen their mindset and to support that I’m going to be furthering my education in this space at Uni,’’ McKinnon said.
“I’m forever grateful to the opportunities that I’ve managed to achieve at the Knights.
“I’ve worked with a vast array of leaders in their own right including coaches Rick Stone, Nathan Brown, Adam O’Brien, and administrators like John Quayle, Brian Canavan, Darren Mooney, Philip Gardiner and Matt Gidley.
“I’ve evolved as a person from every experience at the Knights, but I’m really looking forward to broadening that scope of working with other teams or organisations.’’
McKinnon leaves the Knights in a very good place for the 2022 season. As the head of recruitment, the 29-year-old was heavily involved with the luring of players such as Jayden Brailey, Tyson Frizell, Dane Gagai, Bradman Best, Dom Young, Brodie Jones and Stanford Toa.
It's understood a large chunk of his role will be replaced by Garth Brennan, who recently joined the club in a wide-ranging new role working with the development side of the club.
McKinnon hasn’t called it a day with rugby league however, as he’ll be heavily involved in providing analysis and insight with Fox Sports’ commentary team.