The Koroit star has been in fine form in 2021, kicking 23 goals while playing as a high half-forward and onballer for the top-of-the-ladder Saints.

"I'm really enjoying my footy this year," McIntyre said.

"As I get older I tend to hold onto every moment a bit more and really enjoy them.

"With the injuries I've had, you never know when the next one is around the corner so I am cherishing my time playing."

At 32, McIntyre still has plenty of football ahead of him if he chooses, but his body has absorbed more than its share of punishment.

The former Adelaide Crows' senior player has had three knee reconstructions, two on his left and one on his right.

The last one happened in 2019 when he was playing for Barwon Heads in the Bellarine Football League.

McIntyre went down with the injury in round six, giving him the rest of the season, and all of 2020 due to COVID, to recover.

He decided the Hampden league and Koroit would be the place he would make his comeback, something the Saints were happy to accommodate.

McIntyre was no stranger to Koroit, having moved to the club from Warrnambool in 2016.

Injury kept him out of the Saints premiership team that season, but he soon bounced back, playing in the 2017 and 2018 premierships.

He did so in style, winning the club's senior best-and-fairest awards in both seasons.

His form in 2021 has further advanced his claims as an all-time great of the club, with another premiership perhaps on the agenda.

But first the Saints have to not only master the league's nine opposition clubs, but also the stop-start nature of the pandemic.

As one of the club's senior players, McIntyre knows he has an important leadership role to play during these uncertain times.

"In these circumstances you can't look too far ahead," McIntyre said.

"We just have to make sure we are as prepared as we can be and not take our foot off the pedal. We don't want to be caught short."