Donald McDonald (born 10 May 1962) is a former Australian rules footballer and coach.

Playing career

North Melbourne Football Club

Recruited from St. Brendan's in Flemington, McDonald debuted with the North Melbourne Football Club in the VFL in 1982. He was a tall player who could play

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or in the

ruck Ruck may refer to: * Ruck (rugby union), a contesting for the ball in Rugby Union from a grounded player * Ruck (Australian rules football), an aerial contest in Australian rules football between rival ruckmen * Ruck (rugby league), the area sur ...

, and in 1984 won the Kangaroos' leading goalkicker award. He played in the VFL until 1992, having amassed 155 games and 165 goals.

Coaching career

Early career

McDonald became captain-coach of

Werribee Werribee is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia, south-west of Melbourne's Melbourne City Centre, Central Business District, located within the City of Wyndham Local government areas of Victoria, local government a ...

in the VFA, and coached the club to a premiership victory in 1993. He coached at Werribee from 1993 until 1999. From 2000 to 2002 he was non-playing coach of the Box Hill Hawks in the VFL, and coached the club to a premiership victory in 2001, defeating his former club

in the grand final.

Hawthorn Football Club

In the 2004 season, McDonald took over from

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, after Schwab resigned from the

Hawthorn Football Club The Hawthorn Football Club, nicknamed the Hawks, is a professional Australian rules football club based in Mulgrave, Victoria, that competes in the Australian Football League (AFL). The club was founded in 1902 in the inner-east suburb of Hawt ...

senior coaching job late in the season following a dismal season. McDonald was then promoted from assistant coach to caretaker senior coach of Hawthorn for the remainder of the 2004 season. Hawthorn under McDonald won two games of the remaining five games of the 2004 season, to finish in fifteenth place on the ladder, which was the second-last placed position. McDonald was however not retained as Hawthorn Football Club senior coach at the end of the 2004 season, due to

Alastair Clarkson Alastair Thomas Clarkson (born 27 April 1968) is an Australian rules football coach and former player who is currently the head coach of the North Melbourne Football Club. He was previously the head coach of the Hawthorn Football Club in the ...

being appointed as Hawthorn Football Club senior coach.

North Melbourne Football Club assistant coach and other roles with the club

McDonald then became an assistant coach at his old club,

North Melbourne Kangaroos The North Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed the Kangaroos, is a professional Australian rules football club. The men's team competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), and the women's team in the AFL Women's (AFLW). The Kangaroos also ...

, for the 2005 season and then he transitioned to work in a number of key roles at the club, including as the Football Manager. McDonald's son Luke was drafted by North Melbourne as a father-son recruit in 2013 National Draft with 8th pick.

Other coaching roles

McDonald went on to be the senior coach of the Avondale Heights Football Club who compete in the top division of the Essendon Region Football League. After this, McDonald was appointed as the club’s Football Director of The Old Scotch Football Club.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:McDonald, Donald Hawthorn Football Club coaches 1962 births Living people North Melbourne Football Club players Box Hill Football Club coaches Werribee Football Club players Werribee Football Club coaches Australian rules footballers from Victoria (state)