Twenty matches from a second year player, a NAB AFL Rising Star award, plus a top three placing in the best and fairest, were all achieved - not bad for a player seen as no certainty to be drafted when claimed at No. 53 in the 2010 NAB AFL Draft.
“I hoped to be able to play a few games this year - I was hoping maybe in the eight to 10 range at the start - but to be able to play 20 definitely exceeded expectations for me,” he said.
“It’s been a really good year personally. I’ve been able to play a lot of games and develop a lot. It’s been disappointing that we only won four games and struggled on-field, but I’ve had a really good time.”
McDonald played two matches in his first AFL listed season in 2011, before becoming a regular in 2012. He said the taste helped him blossom this year.
“The two games at the end of the year [in 2011] showed me what was needed from fitness, strength and the speed of the game.
“It was a big help, and it was a bit of a focus for the off-season and the pre-season for what I had to work on.
“That gave me a good kick-start, and to be able to play a few of the NAB [Cup] games early on gave me a bit more of a taste. I was able to build from there.”
McDonald gained his chance when fellow big man Stef Martin was a late withdrawal with a hip injury in round two against the West Coast Eagles.
“It was a lot of luck … Stef was unfortunately injured, which gave me a chance and I went down back and got my opportunity,” he said.
“I may not have got an opportunity for another couple of months - if at all - I might not have been able to get a go [until] late in the year, but I did.
“I was able to play well enough to get a game the week after, and I just kept trying to build from there, so I was very lucky. I also had to work pretty hard to get the chance from there.”
McDonald said his development would’ve “been a surprise” to many.
“A lot of people may not have seen it. I’ve always believed that I could play, but I didn’t know if I would be drafted - even on draft night,” he said.
“But once I was here, everyone was on the same playing field, whether you’re the first pick or last pick. We all get our shot and as long as I have the belief that I can do it - which I thought I did - I got my chance and I’ve been able to run with it.
“So hopefully it builds into another good year next year, but it’s definitely a bit of a surprise, and it’s been a long trip from two years ago and barely being drafted.”
McDonald believes he was seen as a speculative pick at the time, due to his body shape.
“I’m still pretty skinny now, but two years ago, I was a lot skinnier,” he said.
“I wasn’t a player who really dominated at under 18s … like a lot of the top picks do. I had attributes that got me drafted, but I hadn’t put them together as an under 18, and I didn’t play as a backman in the under 18s or juniors.
“I’ve got a chance down back and been able to do well at it, whereas I was a bit of a forward and a bit of a ruck and sometimes on the wing. It was a case of not being able to put it together and not knowing what sort of player I was at the time.”
The 194 cm tall said the pre-season was pivotal to his successful season.
“The fact that I wasn’t injured in the pre-season made a big difference. If you can do every session, it gives you a massive head start,” he said.
“I missed one or two sessions for the whole pre-season, and I’ve always been a good endurance runner, so it always helps when you’re doing endurance running.
“I always tried to push myself hard. I worked hard in the off-season and I worked with the club to come back in decent shape. It was just a matter of staying out there and training as hard as I could for the whole pre-season.”
Although not noted as a defender, McDonald had a person close to him who always thought better.
“My Mum’s always thought I’d be a defender, because she’s been a defender in netball all her life,” he said.
“It simplifies the game a little bit - you’ve got a task to do on your man. It’s about being a competitive person and being a defender suits that, because you always want to beat your opponent one-on-one, rather than hunting the ball as much.
“It suits my personality type and the way I play, so I’m happy with it.
“She was always a defender - she thought it would suit me and I never really had a chance there.
“To be honest, not a lot of juniors get drafted as defenders - they’re normally midfielders or forwards.
“She thought it would suit, and she’s right so far.”
McDonald’s breakout game came against St Kilda superstar and skipper Nick Riewoldt in round five this year.
“Definitely to that point, it was my best game,” he said.
“It gave me a bit of belief that I could do it. That game came out of chance as [James] Frawley was injured and didn’t play. I wasn’t originally going to play on him. I’ve been lucky with a couple of breaks this year.
“It gave me the confidence going from there that there are bigger names that I can have a go at - and not always beat them - but I’m definitely not scared of the challenge.
“To do it early in the season gave me a bit of a look at what it’s like, and it did springboard my own season.
“The Riewoldt game stood out to me, because it was a Saturday night game and a big occasion and we played well, even though we didn’t get the win.”
McDonald said that the likes of Adelaide’s Kurt Tippett and Fremantle’s Aaron Sandilands were among his toughest opponents, while he enjoyed contests with Gold Coast’s Tom Lynch and West Coast’s Jack Darling.
“[Kurt] Tippett is very strong and just too tall and too strong for me at the moment. That’s what I’m working on - getting stronger in contests. He’s very tough,” he said.
“I’ve had some good battles with young guys like Tom Lynch and Jack Darling, who are the same age as me and [Aaron] Sandilands got the better of me - just being too big.
“There have been some interesting battles, but the young guys have been interesting to see how I go against guys my own age.”
Despite being recruited as a versatile tall, McDonald expects to settle as a defender in the long term.
“I’m happy to play where they need me to play, but I really enjoyed my time down back, so if I had a preference I’d probably stay there,” he said.
“If I went down forward, I’d see how I go, but I think I’m going all right down back.
“The thing is, I haven’t trained as a defender at all - the first two pre-seasons have been as a forward, so I haven’t had the chance to actually practice with the backs.
“So that’ll be nice - I’m assuming they’ll let me train there in the pre-season - but we’ll wait and see.
“I need to get a lot stronger, because some of the contests I’ve had with the big guys, who are older than me - I just need to get physically stronger. So that’ll be a big focus. Maintaining my fitness and carrying a little bit more weight will be a focus, and working on my skills and decision making in the backline, which I hope will come with training with the defenders as well. They’re my focuses for the off-season.”
