Man with a plan: how Tom McDonald rebuilt his career at the Demons

Goodwin was true to his word but McDonald had fallen to the back of a forward queue that included Sam Weideman, recruit Ben Brown, Luke Jackson and Mitch Brown. He began to train on the wing in the new year as the Demons looked to find a role for him that might benefit the team.

Then, within a week in February, Melbourne lost Brown and Weideman to injury and the club threw a lifebuoy in McDonald’s direction and hedged their bets, signing former Kangaroo Majak Daw as a rookie.

The question in many Demons’ minds was: could McDonald’s career ride a third wave back to form?

He had slid from being touted as a potential All-Australian defender midway through 2015 to such a ragged player in 2017 he was moved forward in desperation.

That move appeared a spectacular success as he kicked 72 goals in 32 games from late in 2017 and throughout 2018 as the Demons charged to an unlikely preliminary final.

He has become Melbourne’s prodigal son.

“He’s the first picked now in the forward line as a tall,” says Lynden Dunn, the recently retired Magpie who played alongside McDonald at Melbourne.

“He’s got an elite tank and he is a great mark. When he runs and jumps at the ball, his arms are so long and he is pretty strong and you just can’t get near the ball. He is a real confidence player.”

That confidence is well known at the Demons who suspect part of McDonald’s motivation will be to prove others wrong.

Former Demon high-flyer Russell Robertson admires McDonald as a player and person, saying his resurgence shows the strength of his character.

Loading

“It’s hard when you have to work through those periods with a lot of people doubting you. You start to doubt yourself,” Robertson said.

“I think he is one of the best kicks for goal in the league. He has got a super set of hands and he worked through the yips.”

McDonald’s remarkable turnaround has given the Demons food for thought as the future of the key forwards on their list shifts each week.

Suddenly McDonald is essential as he is the forward-50 target 20.3 per cent of the time and the unsigned Weideman and in-the-VFL Brown have entered that footballing no-man’s land McDonald knows so well.

The future is uncertain, but McDonald has proven himself to be a player of real substance.

Keep up to date with the best AFL coverage in the country. Sign up for the Real Footy newsletter.