Ulster kick off their first match of the championship later this afternoon against a strong Connacht Eagles side who will be aiming to bounce back after their loss against Leinster 'A' last weekend.
Starting at nine this afternoon, McKee, has been plugging away in training and keeping himself match-fit by playing Energia All-Ireland League rugby with Ballynahinch RFC.
The club have had a superb start to the season, currently sitting four points clear atop division 1A after 7 Rounds.
Playing in a confident, winning side has been great for McKee's game as he explained:
"We have been taking it week by week and building nicely. We had a good win to kick off the season, some big wins away like beating against Young Munster at Lansdowne and have backed them up. It's been class and they are a really good bunch at Ballynahinch. We are sitting top of the league which is maybe not necessarily where we thought we would be!"
As a player hoping to break into the senior team matchday 23, McKee, has been valuing the importance of playing at a good level in the AIL, describing the league as a "great shop-window" for making an impression.
"Every week we play against quality opposition, lads who are in similar positions at their provinces who are being released to play. It’s a proper test every week."
Friday sees the first chance since pre-season for some of Ulster's Academy, Development and senior players to get some match minutes in the white jersey. It's a test that Conor and his teammates are all eager to get stuck into.
"It’s massive for all of us.There has been a good buzz around training this week and I can’t wait to rip into it.
It’s a group that train together every week and who haven’t gotten a lot of game-time together. They are the lads that prepare the first team on a weekly basis, so we all train with each other and haven’t been thrown together. We really want to put in a big performance."
The group are aware too that performance at 'A' level can quickly become a fast-track into senior team action.
"The first team is full of lads who have played plenty of A games, they always know its an opportunity to impress. There is a series this year so there's a bit more to play for and we want to win."