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Tom McDonald (Australian footballer)

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Tom McDonald
McDonald playing in August 2018.
Personal information
Full name Thomas McDonald
Date of birth (1992-09-18) 18 September 1992 (age 32)
Original team(s) North Ballarat (TAC Cup)
Draft No. 53, 2010 national draft
Debut Round 23, 2011, Melbourne vs. Gold Coast, at MCG
Height 195 cm (6 ft 5 in)
Weight 101 kg (223 lb)
Position(s) Key forward / key defender
Club information
Current club Melbourne
Number 25
Playing career1
Years Club Games (Goals)
2011- Melbourne 232 (169)
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 2024.
Career highlights
Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

Thomas McDonald (born 18 September 1992) is a professional Australian rules footballer playing for the Melbourne Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). 1.95 metres (6 ft 5 in) tall and weighing 101 kilograms (223 lb), McDonald has played both forward and defence. He spent his final junior year playing in the TAC Cup for the North Ballarat Rebels and played top-level football when he played two matches for North Ballarat in the Victorian Football League (VFL). He was recruited by the Melbourne Football Club with the fifty-third overall selection of the 2010 AFL draft and made his AFL debut during the 2011 season. His second year saw him earn a Rising Star nomination playing in Melbourne's backline, and finished sixth overall.

Early life

[edit]

Growing up in Edenhope, Victoria, McDonald attended Edenhope College before moving to Ballarat to board at St Patrick's College for year twelve.[1] He played for the North Ballarat Rebels in the TAC Cup in 2010 as a key forward[2] and played two matches for the North Ballarat Football Club seniors in the Victorian Football League (VFL) in mid-2010.[3]

AFL career

[edit]

2011–2014: Early career

[edit]

McDonald was recruited by the Melbourne Football Club with their fourth selection and fifty-third overall in the 2010 national draft.[4] After playing in the 2011 NAB Cup,[5] he spent the majority of the season playing in the Victorian Football League (VFL) for Melbourne's affiliate team, the Casey Scorpions.[3] He made his AFL debut in the thirty point win against Gold Coast at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in round twenty-three where he recorded eighteen disposals, six marks, six rebound-50s and four tackles, playing as a backman,[6] and he was named in the best players by AFL Media[7] and The Age.[8] He maintained his spot in the team the next week for the final match of the year in the eight point loss against Port Adelaide at the Adelaide Oval, to finish with two matches for the year.[9]

After a strong pre-season in 2012,[10] he played his first match for the year in the 108-point loss to West Coast at Patersons Stadium in round two.[11] He spent the season playing full back.[12] After playing on Jonathon Patton in the seventy-eight point win against Greater Western Sydney at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in round thirteen he was named the round nominee for the Rising Star where he recorded twenty-six disposals, four marks and three tackles.[13] He missed his first match of the year in round fifteen after he suffered from a bleeding lung as a result of a collision during the sixty-one point loss against Brisbane the previous week.[14] He returned for the round sixteen match against Fremantle at Etihad Stadium and played the remainder of the year to finish with twenty matches for the season.[15] His performances during the year earned him third-place in Melbourne's best and fairest count, behind Nathan Jones and Jack Grimes,[16] and the Harold Ball Memorial Trophy as Melbourne's best young player.[17] Furthermore, he finished sixth in the Rising Star award.[18]

After the departure of defender, Jared Rivers, McDonald played a more prominent role in Melbourne's backline during the 2013 season.[19] He played his first match of the year in the 148-point loss against Essendon at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in round two[20] and played the next four matches before missing four weeks due to a shoulder injury.[21] He returned to the side for the eighty-three point loss against Collingwood in the annual Queen's Birthday clash in round eleven.[22] He did not miss a match for the remainder of the season to finish with seventeen matches for the year[9] and a tenth-place finish in Melbourne's best and fairest count.[23]

The 2014 season saw McDonald play his fiftieth AFL match in the thirty-three point loss against Collingwood in the Queen's Birthday match in round twelve.[24] He played twenty-one matches for the season, resulting in a seventh-place finish in Melbourne's best and fairest.[25]

2015–2016

[edit]
McDonald at training in July 2015

After introducing a more offensive style into the way his game,[26] McDonald opened the 2015 AFL season with a team-high twenty-six disposals in the twenty-six point win against Gold Coast[27] and was named in the best players.[28] The departure of James Frawley, saw McDonald emerge as the number one defender at Melbourne.[29] He spent the second half of the year playing in both the forward and back line,[30] which drew the praise of both then-senior coach Paul Roos and backline coach, Jade Rawlings, for his versatility.[31][32] He played every match for the year,[33] which earned him a third-place finish in Melbourne's best and fairest.[34]

On the eve of the 2016 season, McDonald was named in Melbourne's leadership group.[35] Due to finish the season out-of-contract, speculation surrounded his season as to whether he would re-sign with the club.[36][37][38] He ultimately re-signed with the club in August on a two-year deal, tying him to Melbourne until the end of the 2018 season.[39] The round sixteen match against Fremantle at TIO Stadium in a thirty-two point win saw McDonald record a career-high thirty-one disposals, ten marks, and six rebound-50s, which earned him the centre half-back position in AFL Media's team of the week.[40] He played his 100th AFL match in the two-point win against Gold Coast at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in round nineteen.[41] He played every match during the year and finished sixth in Melbourne's best and fairest count.[42]

2017–Present

[edit]

Following Max Gawn's early season hamstring injury, McDonald was used as a back-up ruckman to assist the undersized Cameron Pedersen. McDonald also played as a wingman. Playing in this role, McDonald was awarded three Brownlow votes for amassing 26 disposals, twelve marks and a goal against the Essendon Bombers in round 5.

Following his success in the forward line during the previous season, it was believed that McDonald would continue in his newfound role while assisting in the ruck when required. However, a niggling toe injury during the following pre-season kept McDonald sidelined for the opening five rounds of the 2018 AFL season, before he finally returned with two goals and 16 disposals in a 36-point win against Essendon. During the 2018 Queen's Birthday match, McDonald kicked a career high six goals as Melbourne lost to Collingwood by 42 points. Mid-way through the season, McDonald signed with the Demons for a further four years.

McDonald played a major role in Melbourne's 33-point Semi-Final win against Hawthorn, kicking a match high four goals as Melbourne triumphed by 33 points. Following Melbourne's loss to West Coast in the preliminary final the following week, McDonald scored 53 goals for the season, the most since any Melbourne player since Brad Green's 55 goal haul in 2010.

Views and personal life

[edit]

In 2021 McDonald commented that he thought it was ‘ethically wrong’ for the AFL to mandate that AFL players be vaccinated against COVID to play.[43] He subsequently was criticised by some in the media for this view.[44]

McDonald has previously appeared on a podcast for the right-wing think tank, the Institute of Public Affairs.[45]

Statistics

[edit]

Updated to the end of 2024.[9]

Legend
  G  
 Goals
  K  
 Kicks
  D  
 Disposals 
  T  
 Tackles
  B  
 Behinds 
  H  
 Handballs 
  M  
 Marks
Season Team No. Games Totals Averages (per game) Votes
G B K H D M T G B K H D M T
2011 Melbourne 43 2 0 1 16 12 28 9 4 0.0 0.5 8.0 6.0 14.0 4.5 2.0 0
2012 Melbourne 25 20 0 1 161 171 332 94 40 0.0 0.1 8.1 8.6 16.6 4.7 2.0 0
2013 Melbourne 25 17 0 1 142 134 276 72 34 0.0 0.1 8.4 7.9 16.2 4.2 2.0 0
2014 Melbourne 25 21 2 0 195 118 313 101 35 0.1 0.0 9.3 5.6 14.9 4.8 1.7 0
2015 Melbourne 25 22 5 4 268 149 417 155 44 0.2 0.2 12.2 6.8 19.0 7.0 2.0 0
2016 Melbourne 25 22 1 0 258 155 413 148 36 0.0 0.0 11.7 7.0 18.8 6.7 1.6 0
2017 Melbourne 25 22 23 7 227 161 388 139 50 1.0 0.3 10.3 7.3 17.6 6.3 2.3 9
2018 Melbourne 25 20 53 20 189 121 310 134 47 2.7 1.0 9.5 6.1 15.5 6.7 2.4 4
2019 Melbourne 25 15 18 15 128 77 205 65 23 1.2 1.0 8.5 5.1 13.7 4.3 1.5 6
2020[a] Melbourne 25 9 7 1 50 27 77 29 16 0.8 0.1 5.5 3.0 8.5 3.2 1.7 0
2021#[b] Melbourne 25 23 33 22 217 105 322 122 51 1.4 1.0 9.4 4.6 14.0 5.3 2.2 8
2022 Melbourne 25 9 15 10 66 31 97 36 10 1.7 1.1 7.3 3.4 10.8 4.0 1.1 2
2023 Melbourne 25 8 9 4 43 29 72 24 15 1.1 0.5 5.4 3.6 9.0 3.0 1.9 0
2024 Melbourne 25 22 3 0 230 86 316 132 37 0.1 0.0 10.5 3.9 14.4 6.0 1.7
Career 232 169 86 2190 1376 3566 1260 441 0.7 0.4 9.4 5.9 15.4 5.4 1.9 29

Notes

  1. ^ The 2020 season was played with 17 home-and-away matches per team (down from 22) and 16-minute quarters with time on (down from 20-minute quarters with time on) due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
  2. ^ Statistics include one game in which McDonald was substituted out of the game due to injury (round 20).

Honours and achievements

[edit]

Team

Individual

[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Tom McDonald (Australian footballer).

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Whelan, Melanie (17 November 2010). "Ballarat's AFL draft hopefuls: Tom McDonald". The Courier. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 24 November 2016.
  2. ^ "Rebels defeated by 2pts in "Game Of Two Halves"". BFL.VCFL.com.au. 12 July 2010. Retrieved 24 November 2016.
  3. ^ a b "Player Profile–Thomas McDonald". VFL.com.au. Fox Sports Pulse. Retrieved 24 November 2016.
  4. ^ McDermott, Josh. "Ballarat footballers bound for the big time". ABC Online. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 24 November 2016.
  5. ^ Burgan, Matt; Carroll, Lynda (4 July 2011). "Q&A with Tom McDonald". MelbourneFC.com.au. Bigpond. Retrieved 24 November 2016.
  6. ^ Hanlon, Peter (26 August 2011). "Watson, Welsh given all clear for clash with Port". The Age. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 24 November 2016.
  7. ^ Edwards, Nat; Belkin, Murray (28 August 2011). "Demons find voice". AFLcom.au. Bigpond. Archived from the original on 10 October 2012. Retrieved 24 November 2016.
  8. ^ Hanlon, Peter (29 August 2011). "Red and blue seeing Green". The Age. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 24 November 2016.
  9. ^ a b c "Tom McDonald". AFL Tables. Retrieved 30 August 2014.
  10. ^ Clark, John (15 December 2011). "The summer slog: foxsports.com.au checks in with each of the 18 AFL clubs ahead of the 2012 season". Fox Sports (Australia). News Corp Australia. Retrieved 24 November 2016.
  11. ^ Quayle, Emma (22 June 2012). "Young Demon on the rise". The Age. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 24 November 2016.
  12. ^ Smart, Nick (26 June 2012). "Tom McDonald of the Melbourne Demons a real Rising Star". News.com.au. News Corp Australia. Retrieved 26 June 2012.
  13. ^ Holmesby, Luke (26 June 2012). "McDonald warms to his task". AFL.com.au. Bigpond. Retrieved 26 June 2012.
  14. ^ Stafford, Andrew (2 July 2012). "Demon in hospital with bleeding lung". The Age. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 24 November 2016.
  15. ^ "Round 16 AFL teams: Essendon loses Paddy Ryder". News.com.au. News Corp Australia. 12 July 2012. Retrieved 24 November 2016.
  16. ^ Anderson, Jon (14 September 2012). "Melbourne midfielder Nathan Jones wins Demons best and fairest". Herald Sun. News Corp Australia. Retrieved 24 November 2016.
  17. ^ Hogan, Jesse (14 September 2012). "Tireless Demon wins top honour". The Age. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 24 November 2016.
  18. ^ Lovett, Michael, ed. (February 2015). AFL Record Season Guide 2015. Melbourne, Victoria: AFL Media. p. 606.
  19. ^ Hogan, Jesse (4 October 2012). "Dees pin faith in rising defender". The Age. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 24 November 2016.
  20. ^ Hogan, Jesse (4 April 2013). "Demons cut fringe recruits following Port thrashing". The Age. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 24 November 2016.
  21. ^ Murnane, Matt (4 June 2013). "Loss of Frawley adds to Melbourne's woes". The Age. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 24 November 2016.
  22. ^ "AFL Round 11 Teams". Triple M. 6 June 2013. Retrieved 24 November 2016.
  23. ^ Guthrie, Ben (5 September 2013). "Jones claims second best and fairest". AFL.com.au. Bigpond. Retrieved 24 November 2016.
  24. ^ "Melbourne vs. Collingwood round 12 2014". AFL Tables. 9 June 2014. Retrieved 24 November 2016.
  25. ^ Ralph, Jon (4 September 2014). "Melbourne skipper Nathan Jones wins third best and fairest award, Dom Tyson and Bernie Vince follow". Herald Sun. News Corp Australia. Retrieved 24 November 2016.
  26. ^ Burgan, Matt (5 March 2015). "Big gains made this pre-season: McDonald". MelbourneFC.com.au. Bigpond. Retrieved 24 November 2016.
  27. ^ Australian Associated Press (4 April 2015). "AFL: New-look Demons stun Suns". The Australian. News Corp Australia. Retrieved 24 November 2016.
  28. ^ Schmook, Nathan (4 April 2015). "Opening round Dee-light as Melbourne stuns Gold Coast". AFL.com.au. Bigpond. Retrieved 24 November 2016.
  29. ^ Schmook, Nathan (18 April 2015). "'Two-way' McDonald making great strides in 2015". AFL.com.au. Bigpond. Retrieved 24 November 2016.
  30. ^ Burgan, Matt (19 July 2015). "McDonald provides new-found flexibility". MelbourneFC.com.au. Bigpond. Retrieved 24 November 2016.
  31. ^ Burgan, Matt (11 July 2015). "Roos praises McDonald's effort up forward". MelbourneFC.com.au. Bigpond. Retrieved 24 November 2016.
  32. ^ Burgan, Matt (23 July 2015). "Rawlings praises duo's versatility". MelbourneFC.com.au. Bigpond. Retrieved 24 November 2016.
  33. ^ Lewis, Georgina; Burgan, Matt (11 November 2015). "McDonald set to match it with best again". MelbourneFC.com.au. Bigpond. Retrieved 24 November 2016.
  34. ^ Pierik, Jon (12 September 2015). "Bernie Vince into history as Dees' best". The Age. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 24 November 2016.
  35. ^ Morris, Tom (10 March 2016). "Melbourne announces entire 2015 leadership group, except for skipper Nathan Jones, has changed". Fox Sports (Australia). News Corp Australia. Retrieved 24 November 2016.
  36. ^ Ralph, Jon (28 February 2016). "Tom McDonald in no hurry to start contract talks with Melbourne". Herald Sun. News Corp Australia. Retrieved 24 November 2016.
  37. ^ Guthrie, Ben (10 June 2016). "Tom McDonald in no rush to ink new Demons deal". AFL.com.au. Bigpond. Retrieved 24 November 2016.
  38. ^ Di Giorgio, Giulio (1 August 2016). "Dees coach expects out-of-contract defender to stay". AFL.com.au. Bigpond. Retrieved 24 November 2016.
  39. ^ Clark, Jay (10 August 2016). "Tom McDonald re-signs with Melbourne, along with brother Oscar". Herald Sun. News Corp Australia. Retrieved 24 November 2016.
  40. ^ Curley, Adam (12 July 2016). "Team of the week: round 16". AFL.com.au. Bigpond. Retrieved 24 November 2016.
  41. ^ Navaratnam, Dinny (29 July 2016). "Big task for 100-game Demon in milestone clash". AFL.com.au. Bigpond. Retrieved 24 November 2016.
  42. ^ Pierik, Jon (7 September 2016). "Jack Viney claims Melbourne Demons best and fairest award". The Age. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 24 November 2016.
  43. ^ "Vaccinated AFL player against mandatory COVID jabs as AFLW player tests positive". ABC News. 18 October 2021.
  44. ^ Matthey, James (19 October 2021). "Furious backlash to AFL star's vaccine claim". News.com.au.
  45. ^ "The Young IPA Podcast – Episode 100 with Tom McDonald and John Roskam". 12 March 2019.
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