DEFENDER Tom McDonald says he wants to become one of the AFL’s best key defenders in 2014.
The 21-year-old said he was determined to take his game to another level next year and was confident he could step-up in his fourth AFL season.
“I’m really confident. I feel like I’m getting in a pretty good pre-season in and not losing any running [after off-season shoulder surgery]. I’m doing some skills and I’m looking for a big year,” he said.
“I’m looking to become one of the main, best defenders in the league – that’s my goal.
“I’m looking forward to the season starting and I can’t see anything holding me back at this stage and I want to keep improving.”
McDonald, who suffered an ankle problem and a shoulder injury during 2013, after finishing third in Melbourne’s 2012 best and fairest, said it was tough to go through shoulder surgery.
“I had the surgery, which wasn’t so fun, and the first week was probably the worst week I’ve had to go through, because you can’t sleep and you’re in pain,” he said.
“I’m full running now, so I do all the running with the main group and when I do the skills, because there is a chance of contact, I step away and do some individual skills with some other players.”
“But I’m in full running and feel pretty good and I’m just building on my base. I’ve got more of an emphasis on speed and repeat speed, rather than just long endurance for me. I really want to work on agility and foot work.”
Still, McDonald managed to make the most of his break, with a visit to Europe.
“I had a really good off-season … I saw Italy, Germany, London and Paris, which was really nice, so I had a good trip away. I’ve been back into it since then, and I got back just before pre-season started,” he said.
“I really enjoyed Germany. I’m really interested in World War II history, so Dachau concentration camp … [was an] amazing experience to see. Some of the Italian buildings and architecture – I’d never seen anything like it, so that was pretty incredible.
“You get pretty exhausted after traveling for four or five weeks, but you forget how good Australia is to live in – we’ve got the best country.”
