TOM McDonald has set his sights on joining Melbourne’s leadership group in 2014.

The young backman is set to enter his fourth AFL season and says becoming an official leader is part of his goals for next year.

“I want to be in the leadership group next year, so I’ll really be pushing to have an influence on that. Off the field, I really think I set a good standard training wise and professionalism,” he told melbournefc.com.au.

“In terms of games experience, I’m getting close to the 50-game mark … and because we’re a very young team, [I’m] in that middle stage. I think of myself as pretty mature off the field. I’ve got a pretty settled life, compared to most 20-year-old men.

“In terms of … leadership stuff on the field, I’ve got to talk a little bit more. I’ve been working with the guys in the leadership group to do that. It’s not natural for me to be yelling and talking on the field, rather [I do more] instructional stuff. I’ve got to lift it a bit.”

Looking ahead to the team’s fortunes next year, McDonald is adamant if the Demons can keep their continuity and stability together, they will make genuine progress under new coach Paul Roos.  

“It might not seem it on the outside, but we really think that we can turn it around pretty soon,” he said.

“There’s been a lot of distractions, but it’s only been a small portion of why things have gone wrong on the field. It doesn’t have as much impact as people think that it might.”

“They might think that the whole group’s upset over [certain situations], but there’s not much you can do about it. It doesn’t affect what happens on the footy field, so I’m looking forward to next year already.”