SPARE a thought for the McDonald family this week.
Not only is it a big week for brothers Tom and Oscar – who are set to play their first AFL final against Geelong at the MCG this Friday night – but for their parents, Cath and Paul, and their hometown of Edenhope in western Victoria.
As Oscar explained, his parents are “over the moon” about watching their boys play in the finals, while the family is also caught up in finals fever with their local team, Edenhope-Apsley.
“Dad’s been texting me non-stop for the last two weeks, saying [he needs] these tickets and these tickets. Mum’s doing the same thing, but she’s trying not to think about it – the same as me, because her nerves will boil over in the end,” he told Melbourne Media with a smile.
“But they’re pretty excited and they’ll come down [from Edenhope] – my mum and dad and two sisters, and a lot of friends and family. It’s pretty exciting.
“Hopefully [Edenhope-Apsley] will be on our back as well. Edenhope-Apsley, our local football team, has made the prelim final as well, so it’s all happening.”
One of seven Demons to have played every match this season, McDonald now has 59 AFL games to his name, since making his AFL debut in round 22, 2015 against Fremantle at Subiaco.
The key defender, who was selected at No.53 in the 2014 NAB AFL Draft, has been in impressive form in recent weeks and said his build-up had been just what he needed for his first crack at finals.
“[In the past two rounds] it’s good to know that you can play some of your good footy in high-pressure situations,” he said.
“The West Coast match with 50,000 West Coast supporters screaming at you in a real close match [was good preparation], as was [playing] GWS – a quality opponent with quality forwards.
McDonald gets the ball away against GWS. Photo: Adam Trafford
“It’s good to have the confidence under your belt, but in saying that, it’s not just going to roll over with no work done in between. We’ll work pretty hard on the track to keep the momentum going.”
McDonald said the addition of fellow key defender Sam Frost to the side since round 16 had been an important part of his good form of late.
“It’s (my form) been a bit up-and-down [this season]. I started the season pretty well I thought. It was a bit of a dip in the middle of the season – I just got a bit tired and we were only playing one tall back at one stage, which was me,” he said.
“With the addition of Frosty coming into the team – he’s been playing excellent at the moment, so he’s just helped carry the load as two tall backs.
“As a whole backline, the six or seven of us, we’ve just gelled really well together in the last month or so and I think we’re building something really special.”
A NAB AFL Rising Star nominee in 2016, McDonald said he would be relaxed come Friday.
“I think I’ll be all right. I’m not one to get too worked up or too nervous,” he said.
“I know what I’ll have to do in the game, but I think I’ll put the game to the back of my mind, until we actually get to the ground.
“It’s just trying to keep my routine as normal as possible and I think that’ll work. But everyone has a different set-up into the game, but I’ll try and keep it as normal as possible and not overthink the game before it happens.”
