Jump to content

Tom McDonald?

DeeSpencer
DeeSpencer
in Melbourne Demons

Featured Replies

McDonald's a backman, but wouldn't be against throwing him forward for a week to get a bit of confidence back.

  • Quote
    •  
    • Author

    I actually really want to see the Hogan/McDonald combination. Worth a try.

    The only problem is what to do with Dawes!

    McDonald 2nd ruck against Essendon would be a winner as well. Tire out their ruck until Gawn comes back and all he can cover the ground like an extra midfielder.

  • Quote

    The only problem is what to do with Dawes!

    McDonald 2nd ruck against Essendon would be a winner as well. Tire out their ruck until Gawn comes back and all he can cover the ground like an extra midfielder.

    Not really...

    Tommy did play a few of his Casey games as a forward ruck.

  • Quote
    •  

    Clearly, he has some attributes, but you NEVER want the ball in his hands.

  • Quote
    • Like 1

    Clearly, he has some attributes, but you NEVER want the ball in his hands.

    The problem with that is that he can provide really great dash out of the back half and runs bloody hard... But then often struggles to hit a target. He definitely wasn't the only one last night though.

    I reckon McDonald has been a bit off since he copped a heavy knock to the head against Collingwood (?).

  • Quote
    • Like 2

    Clearly, he has some attributes, but you NEVER want the ball in his hands.

    Yep, that kick to NicNat in the middle of the ground... Could see it happening as soon as he turned inboard.

    He hasn't learned his limitations yet. Hopefully over time he stops trying to do kicks that are too difficult for him.

  • Quote
    • Like 3

    The problem with that is that he can provide really great dash out of the back half and runs bloody hard... But then often struggles to hit a target. He definitely wasn't the only one last night though.

    I reckon McDonald has been a bit off since he copped a heavy knock to the head against Collingwood (?).

    Defiantly been a different player since that match.

  • Quote

    Yep, that kick to NicNat in the middle of the ground... Could see it happening as soon as he turned inboard.

    He hasn't learned his limitations yet. Hopefully over time he stops trying to do kicks that are too difficult for him.

    As a long time detractor of his kicking he has , for mine, taken some quite lofty steps this season in improving that element. However his judgement as to the when and where of such still leaves me exasperated often.

    He has been out of sorts lately for sure.. Shame..was playing very VERY well,other than some odd disposals :rolleyes:

  • Quote
    • Like 1
     

    Early season he was in all australian form...now he has lost the plot....Lynden Dunn is our no 1 back atm & not afraid to show it either.

    Tommygun doesn't seem right......looks a bit disinterested...off field perhaps?

    I hope he comes good...he was outstanding for a while..

  • Quote
    • Like 1

    Early season he was in all australian form...now he has lost the plot....Lynden Dunn is our no 1 back atm & not afraid to show it either.

    Tommygun doesn't seem right......looks a bit disinterested...off field perhaps?

    I hope he comes good...he was outstanding for a while..

    What does 'not afraid to show it' mean?

    By his 2014 standards Dunn's had a crap year.

  • Quote
    • Like 1

    Tommy Mac was in the form of his career earlier this year, I don't know how it's gone so wrong. I reckon he just needs to get back to basics, he might've started to believe his own hype and believed he needs to take things on his own. Just get him back to he was doing best; fisting the ball through, body on body work, and getting the ball the hell out!

  • Quote

    Tommy Mac was in the form of his career earlier this year, I don't know how it's gone so wrong. I reckon he just needs to get back to basics, he might've started to believe his own hype and believed he needs to take things on his own. Just get him back to he was doing best; fisting the ball through, body on body work, and getting the ball the hell out!

    I don't think McDonald's the kind of player to 'believe his own hype' or anything like that.

    I think the issue is one of confidence - he started the year out well and was confident and it built up for a period of, what, 8 weeks? But around the time when he got belted by Cloke in a quarter I think he's really fallen away since then, and I wouldn't be surprised if he's lost confidence a bit from the experience of being embarrassed in front of 60,000 people in that first quarter.

    Edited by titan_uranus

  • Quote
    • Like 2

    I don't think McDonald's the kind of player to 'believe his own hype' or anything like that.

    If anything, i would've thought that it was Roos and the coaching staff that were believing the hype (and their good work in developing him). So they thought he had become the clear #1 backman, even on the monster FF's.

    Maybe it was them who got ahead of themselves and thought their job was just about done.

  • Quote

    I don't think McDonald's the kind of player to 'believe his own hype' or anything like that.

    I think the issue is one of confidence - he started the year out well and was confident and it built up for a period of, what, 8 weeks? But around the time when he got belted by Cloke in a quarter I think he's really fallen away since then, and I wouldn't be surprised if he's lost confidence a bit from the experience of being embarrassed in front of 60,000 people in that first quarter.

    It's probably just that he's only 22 and hasn't yet perfected the recipe for peak performance for 22 games a year.

  • Quote
    • Like 9

    It's probably just that he's only 22 and hasn't yet perfected the recipe for peak performance for 22 games a year.

    Good point.

  • Quote

    The gap between his best and worst is huge, and big guys take time, he's shown enough for me to believe he will be a star for us

  • Quote

    He's 22

    What were you doing at 22 other than getting [censored] and badly hitting on girls?

    Form at that age fluctuates, especially when you're a KPP in a struggling team with a questionable midfield

    We have 99 problems but Tom Mcadonald ain't one

    Please also note correlation between drop in form and Salem's hamstrings. Too much extra responsibility to play attacking role which is not his shtick.

    Edited by Jaded

  • Quote
    • Like 4

    Great first 7-8 games. Was B&F favourite. After the last 4 games, if Sam Frost was fit, Tom's position may be questioned.

    He needs work on his disposal... Please!!! in todays AFL, his disposal can be a killer

  • Quote

    Great first 7-8 games. Was B&F favourite. After the last 4 games, if Sam Frost was fit, Tom's position may be questioned.

    He needs work on his disposal... Please!!! in todays AFL, his disposal can be a killer

    I don't think so...

    MFC supporters are so uncomfortable with talent performing at an AA level, that when it doesn't perform at that level for a month - they want to drop the bloke.

    Just...stop.

  • Quote
    • Like 6
     

    Doesn't look to moving as freely as in the earlier part of the season.

  • Quote

    The problem with that is that he can provide really great dash out of the back half and runs bloody hard... But then often struggles to hit a target. He definitely wasn't the only one last night though.

    I reckon McDonald has been a bit off since he copped a heavy knock to the head against Collingwood (?).

    Runs hard alright. That run he went on in the saints game and finished with a goal was awesome.

  • Quote
    • Like 1

    Join the conversation

    You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

    Guest
    Unfortunately, your content contains terms that we do not allow. Please edit your content to remove the highlighted words below.
    Reply to this topic...
    Go to topic listing

    Featured Content

    • PREVIEW: Fremantle

      A month is a long time in AFL football. The proof of this is in the current state of the two teams contesting against each other early this Saturday afternoon at the MCG. It’s hard to fathom that when Melbourne and Fremantle kicked off the 2025 season, the former looked like being a major player in this year’s competition after it came close to beating one of the favourites in the GWS Giants while the latter was smashed by Geelong to the tune of 78 points and looked like rubbish. Fast forward to today and the Demons are low on confidence and appear panic stricken as their winless streak heads towards an even half dozen and pressure mounts on the coach and team leadership.  Meanwhile, the Dockers have recovered their composure and now sit in the top eight. They are definitely on the up and up and look most likely winners this weekend against a team which they have recently dominated and which struggles to find enough passages to the goals to trouble the scorers. And with that, Fremantle will head to the MCG, feeling very good about itself after demolishing Richmond in the Barossa Valley with Josh Treacy coming off a six goal haul and facing up to a Melbourne defence already without Jake Lever and a shaky Steven May needing to pass a fitness test just to make it onto the field of play. 

      • 0 replies
      Demonland
      Demonland

    • NON-MFC: Round 06

      The Easter Round kicks off in style with a Thursday night showdown between Brisbane and Collingwood, as both sides look to solidify their spots inside the Top 4 early in the season. Good Friday brings a double-header, with Carlton out to claim consecutive wins when they face the struggling Kangaroos, while later that night the Eagles host the Bombers in Perth, still chasing their first victory of the year. Saturday features another marquee clash as the resurgent Crows look to rebound from back-to-back losses against a formidable GWS outfit. That evening, all eyes will be on Marvel Stadium where Damien Hardwick returns to face his old side—the Tigers—coaching the Suns at a ground he's never hidden his disdain for. Sunday offers two crucial contests where the prize is keeping touch with the Top 8. First, Sydney and Port Adelaide go head-to-head, followed by a fierce battle between the Bulldogs and the Saints. Then, Easter Monday delivers the traditional clash between two bitter rivals, both desperate for a win to stay in touch with the top end of the ladder. Who are you tipping this week and what are the best results for the Demons?

        • Like
      • 87 replies
      Demonland
      Demonland

    • REPORT: Essendon

      What were they thinking? I mean by “they” the coaching panel and team selectors who chose the team to play against an opponent who, like Melbourne, had made a poor start to the season and who they appeared perfectly capable of beating in what was possibly the last chance to turn the season around.It’s no secret that the Demons’ forward line is totally dysfunctional, having opened the season barely able to average sixty points per game which means there has been no semblance of any system from the team going forward into attack. Nevertheless, on Saturday night at the Adelaide Oval in one of the Gather Round showcase games, Melbourne, with Max Gawn dominating the hit outs against a depleted Essendon ruck resulting from Nick Bryan’s early exit, finished just ahead in clearances won and found itself inside the 50 metre arc 51 times to 43. The end result was a final score that had the Bombers winning 15.6 (96) to 8.9 (57). On balance, one could expect this to result in a two or three goal win, but in this case, it translated into a six and a half goal defeat because they only managed to convert eight times or 11.68% of their entries. The Bombers more than doubled that. On Thursday night at the same ground, the losing team Adelaide managed to score 100 points from almost the same number of times inside 50.

      • 0 replies
      Demonland
      Demonland

    • PODCAST: Essendon

      The Demonland Podcast will air LIVE on Monday, 14th April @ the all new time of 8:00pm. Join Binman, George & I as we dissect another Demons loss at Kardinia Park to the Cats in the Round 04. Your questions and comments are a huge part of our podcast so please post anything you want to ask or say below and we'll give you a shout out on the show. If you would like to leave us a voicemail please call 03 9016 3666 and don't worry no body answers so you don't have to talk to a human.

        • Clap
      • 59 replies
      Demonland
      Demonland

    • PREGAME: Fremantle

      The Demons return home to the MCG in search of their first win for the 2025 Premiership season when they take on the Fremantle Dockers on Saturday afternoon. Who comes in and who goes out?

        • Clap
        • Haha
        • Thanks
        • Like
      • 371 replies
      Demonland
      Demonland

    • VOTES: Essendon

      Max Gawn leads the Demonland Player of the Year ahead of Clayton Oliver, Christian Petracca, Kade Chandler and Jake Bowey. Your votes please. 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 & 1.

        • Like
      • 24 replies
      Demonland
      Demonland
    View All