Adelaide AFLW ruck Montana McKinnon says selection disappointment at the end of last season has lit a fire in her belly ahead of the 2023 campaign.

McKinnon featured in 10 matches during Season Seven, including the Qualifying Final but became a victim of the Crows’ selection squeeze ahead of the Semi and Preliminary Finals.

Speaking to AFC Media, the 21-year-old said the omission had motivated her to work harder in the off-season to improve her fitness and consistency.

“Obviously missing out was tough but I think it helped me push this off-season to be better for this year,” McKinnon said.

“Playing that consistent football was the feedback I got and I just wanted to work on my fitness a bit more and do those extra sessions so I could come back better this season.

“I did a fair bit over the off-season even when I went away on holiday, I was still training and keeping up with all the programs, so all the running, the weights plus some extras.”

"Missing out was tough but I think it helped me push this off-season to be better.

Adelaide’s AFLW side returned to West Lakes for pre-season at the end of May and McKinnon said the side had enjoyed a longer off-season.

“Having that short break (in 2022), was a fair bit on the body to continue all the way through but I think having this longer break has been great,” McKinnon said.

“A lot of the girls got away on trips away and overseas so it was good to have a good break from footy and then sort of crack back into it.

“Last year because we played so many games with such a short turnaround it feels like we have had such a big break this year so we are ready to get back into it.”

McKinnon, who is heading into her fifth season, said strong competition for spots has the side well-placed for another strong campaign.

“Jess coming in will push myself and Gouldy (Caitlin Gould) in that ruck spot, so all three of us will be really striving for that role so that's really good to push myself,” McKinnon said.

“Everyone is looking really fit and on the track it's really competitive this year.

“That's the standard set by the leadership group since I’ve been here so I think we train with that high expectation and that definitely plays out on game day.”

The 2023 AFLW Season kicks off in the first weekend of September, with the full fixture set to be released soon.Crows 2023 AFLW Memberships available here.