TOM McDonald’s fascinating tussle with one of the game’s superstars – Lance ‘Buddy’ Franklin – was certainly not lost on the coach.
Paul Roos couldn’t speak highly enough of his young key defender – still only 21 years old – who kept the big-name Swans recruit in check, before Franklin was forced from the field with a knee injury in the third term.
McDonald kept Franklin to one goal and seven touches, with his performance earning strong praise from Roos post-match.
“Tom has been outstanding this year – he's done a really good job,” he said.
“We really missed him on [Nick] Riewoldt when he went off [injured in round one].
“[But] he was outstanding against Buddy.”
McDonald, in some respects, is one of the unsung members of Melbourne’s future.
Selected at No.53 in the 2010 NAB AFL Draft, McDonald played the final two matches of the 2011 season under interim coach Todd Viney.
He has since become a mainstay in the side, playing 20 matches in 2012 – and finishing third in Melbourne’s best and fairest – and 17 last year, with a shoulder injury impacting an almost full season.
The 194cm tall is nearing 50 matches – he has 45 to his name – and has become an integral part of the red and blue line-up.
His no nonsense, team-oriented style of play has become an important attribute of Melbourne’s defence. And his ability to step-up with James Frawley and Lynden Dunn spending more time up forward in recent matches, has added another string to McDonald’s bow.
For McDonald, he rated his battle with Franklin as “not too bad”.
“I was doing OK. He kicked a goal in the first quarter from a free kick, which I didn’t think was there – and you can’t do much about that,” he said.
“We had a bit of a battle and he got a couple of marks on me, but I thought I battled well.
“He got injured in the third quarter, so we didn’t see through the whole game, but it was a good challenge for me.”
McDonald said he didn’t handle Franklin any different to any other key forward.
“There’s a lot of talented forwards in the league. I don’t treat him different to how you’d treat last week’s game or any other forwards really, because if you do that, then you’re setting yourself up for failure,” he said.
“He’s a very talented player, but I don’t think of it as ‘he’s the best’ and I have to change my mentality.”
One of McDonald’s impressive early games was on another superstar – St Kilda captain Nick Riewoldt – and he has continually been given some big jobs and relished the opportunity.
McDonald thrives on a challenge. He is confident in his ability and has publicly stated that he wants to be one of the best key defenders in the business.
He has already shown he can play on and take some of the competition’s best key forwards, reinforcing that he’s well on his way.
And given he still has plenty of time on his side, McDonald looms as an integral part of Melbourne’s make-up for many years to come.
