In Round 16, the Newcastle Knights host the St George Illawarra Dragons at Hunter Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
For just the second time, the clubs will play for the Alex McKinnon Cup.
"It's a day that my family marks on the calendar," McKinnon told Knights TV.
"It's very special for my mum, dad, and my nan to come down to the game. I'm very lucky that both teams have agreed to do this, and it's just an opportunity for us to come to the game, enjoy, sit back and hopefully the Knights get the win."
Both the Knights and the Dragons are special to McKinnon, and he can't wait to see friends on both sides getting stuck in.
"To be honest, I think I owe a lot to the Dragons," McKinnon said.
"I had a great junior development and I had a lot of mentors down there."
And as for the Knights, McKinnon has always been passionate about the red and blue.
"I've never been in a town that supports rugby league so much. I know the boys don't take it for granted," he said.
"It's not just Newcastle, but the whole Hunter Valley. It's very unique, and something that the Club is very lucky to have."
