Thomas McDonald (born 18 September 1992) is a professional

Australian rules football Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an oval field, often a modified cricket ground. Points are scored by k ...

er playing for the

Melbourne Football Club The Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed the Demons, is a professional Australian rules football club that competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's elite competition. It is based in Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, ...

in the

Australian Football League The Australian Football League (AFL) is the only fully professional competition of Australian rules football. Through the AFL Commission, the AFL also serves as the sport's governing body and is responsible for controlling the laws of the gam ...

(AFL). tall and weighing , McDonald has played both forward and defence. He spent his final junior year playing in the TAC Cup for the North Ballarat Rebels and played top-level football when he played two matches for

North Ballarat North Ballarat Football & Netball Club, nicknamed ''The Roosters'', is an Australian rules football and netball club based at Mars Stadium in Ballarat. The club currently fields senior, reserve and Under 19 sides in the Ballarat Football Lea ...

in the

Victorian Football League The Victorian Football League (VFL) is an Australian rules football league in Australia serving as one of the second-tier regional semi-professional competitions which sit underneath the fully professional Australian Football League (AFL). It ...

(VFL). He was recruited by the Melbourne Football Club with the fifty-third overall selection of the 2010 AFL draft and made his AFL debut during the 2011 season. His second year saw him earn a Rising Star nomination playing in Melbourne's backline, and finished sixth overall.

Early life

Growing up in

Edenhope, Victoria Edenhope is a town in Victoria, Australia. It is located on the Wimmera Highway, 30 kilometres from the South Australian border, in the Shire of West Wimmera local government area. At the Edenhope had a population of 946. The township of Eden ...

, McDonald attended Edenhope College before moving to

Ballarat Ballarat ( ) is a city in the Central Highlands (Victoria), Central Highlands of Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia. At the 2021 Census, Ballarat had a population of 116,201, making it the third largest city in Victoria. Estimated resid ...

to board at St Patrick's College for year twelve. He played for the North Ballarat Rebels in the TAC Cup in 2010 as a key forward and played two matches for the North Ballarat Football Club seniors in the

(VFL) in mid-2010.

AFL career

2011–2014: Early career

McDonald was recruited by the

with their fourth selection and fifty-third overall in the 2010 national draft. After playing in the

2011 NAB Cup The 2011 NAB Cup was the Australian Football League (AFL) pre-season competition played before the 2011 season. The games were played between 11 February and 11 March. The first match was between and in Adelaide at AAMI Stadium. This was th ...

, he spent the majority of the season playing in the

(VFL) for Melbourne's affiliate team, the

Casey Scorpions The Casey Football Club, nicknamed the "Demons" and formerly the "Scorpions", is an Australian rules football club based in Cranbourne East, Victoria. The club, which was known until 2005 as the Springvale Football Club and the Casey Scorpions ( ...

. He made his AFL debut in the thirty point win against at the

Melbourne Cricket Ground The Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), also known locally as "The 'G", is an Australian sports stadium located in Yarra Park, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, Victoria. Founded and managed by the Melbourne Cricket Club, it is the largest stadiu ...

in round twenty-three where he recorded eighteen disposals, six marks, six rebound-50s and four tackles, playing as a

backman Backman (also Bäckman) is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Asta Backman (1917–2010), Finnish actress * Christian Bäckman (born 1980), Swedish ice hockey player * Derek Backman (born 1966), American soccer player * Eric Back ...

, and he was named in the best players by ''AFL Media'' and ''

The Age ''The Age'' is a daily newspaper in Melbourne, Australia, that has been published since 1854. Owned and published by Nine Entertainment, ''The Age'' primarily serves Victoria (Australia), Victoria, but copies also sell in Tasmania, the Austral ...

''. He maintained his spot in the team the next week for the final match of the year in the eight point loss against at the

Adelaide Oval Adelaide Oval is a sports ground in Adelaide, South Australia, located in the parklands between the city centre and North Adelaide. The venue is predominantly used for cricket and Australian rules football, but has also played host to rugby ...

, to finish with two matches for the year. After a strong pre-season in 2012, he played his first match for the year in the 108-point loss to at

Patersons Stadium Subiaco Oval (; nicknamed Subi) was a sports stadium in Perth, Western Australia, located in the suburb of Subiaco. It was opened in 1908 and closed in 2017 after the completion of the new Perth Stadium in Burswood. Subiaco Oval was the high ...

in round two. He spent the season playing full back. After playing on

Jonathon Patton Jonathon Patton (born 20 May 1993) is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played for the Greater Western Sydney Giants and Hawthorn Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL) Patton was taken with first selection i ...

in the seventy-eight point win against at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in round thirteen he was named the round nominee for the Rising Star where he recorded twenty-six disposals, four marks and three tackles. He missed his first match of the year in round fifteen after he suffered from a bleeding lung as a result of a collision during the sixty-one point loss against the previous week. He returned for the round sixteen match against at

Etihad Stadium The City of Manchester Stadium in Manchester, England, also known as the Etihad Stadium for sponsorship reasons, is the home of Premier League club Manchester City F.C., with a domestic football capacity of 53,400, making it the 6th-largest ...

and played the remainder of the year to finish with twenty matches for the season. His performances during the year earned him third-place in Melbourne's

best and fairest In Australian sport, the best and fairest award recognises the player(s) adjudged to have had the best performance in a game or over a season for a given sporting club or competition. The awards are sometimes dependent on not receiving a suspensi ...

count, behind Nathan Jones and Jack Grimes, and the

Harold Ball Memorial Trophy The Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed the Demons, is a professional Australian rules football club that competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's elite competition. It is based in Melbourne, Victoria, and plays its home ...

as Melbourne's best young player. Furthermore, he finished sixth in the Rising Star award. After the departure of defender, Jared Rivers, McDonald played a more prominent role in Melbourne's backline during the 2013 season. He played his first match of the year in the 148-point loss against at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in round two and played the next four matches before missing four weeks due to a shoulder injury. He returned to the side for the eighty-three point loss against in the annual

Queen's Birthday clash The King's Birthday match is an annual Australian rules football match between the Melbourne Football Club and Collingwood Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL), held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on the King's Birthda ...

in round eleven. He did not miss a match for the remainder of the season to finish with seventeen matches for the year and a tenth-place finish in Melbourne's best and fairest count. The 2014 season saw McDonald play his fiftieth AFL match in the thirty-three point loss against Collingwood in the Queen's Birthday match in round twelve. He played twenty-one matches for the season, resulting in a seventh-place finish in Melbourne's best and fairest.

2015–2016

After introducing a more offensive style into the way his game, McDonald opened the

2015 AFL season The 2015 AFL season was the 119th season of the Australian Football League (AFL), the highest level senior Australian rules football competition in Australia, which was known as the Victorian Football League until 1989. The season featured eigh ...

with a team-high twenty-six disposals in the twenty-six point win against Gold Coast and was named in the best players. The departure of James Frawley, saw McDonald emerge as the number one defender at Melbourne. He spent the second half of the year playing in both the forward and back line, which drew the praise of both then-senior coach Paul Roos and backline coach,

Jade Rawlings Jade Rawlings (born 9 October 1977) is a former Australian rules footballer who played in the AFL with the Hawthorn, Western Bulldogs and North Melbourne Football Clubs. He served as the caretaker coach of the Richmond Football Club for 11 game ...

, for his versatility. He played every match for the year, which earned him a third-place finish in Melbourne's

. On the eve of the 2016 season, McDonald was named in Melbourne's leadership group. Due to finish the season out-of-contract, speculation surrounded his season as to whether he would re-sign with the club. He ultimately re-signed with the club in August on a two-year deal, tying him to Melbourne until the end of the 2018 season. The round sixteen match against at

TIO Stadium Marrara Oval, currently branded TIO Stadium under a naming rights agreement (and previously also known as Football Park), is a sports ground in Darwin, the capital of Australia's Northern Territory. The ground primarily hosts Australian rules ...

in a thirty-two point win saw McDonald record a career-high thirty-one disposals, ten marks, and six rebound-50s, which earned him the centre half-back position in ''AFL Media's'' team of the week. He played his 100th AFL match in the two-point win against Gold Coast at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in round nineteen. He played every match during the year and finished sixth in Melbourne's best and fairest count.

2017–Present

Following Max Gawn's early season hamstring injury, McDonald was redeployed as a back-up ruckman to assist the undersized

Cameron Pedersen Cameron Pedersen (born 17 March 1987) is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played for the and the Melbourne Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). A utility, tall and weighing , Pedersen played the majority ...

. McDonald also played as a wingman. Playing in this role, McDonald was awarded three Brownlow votes for amassing 26 disposals, twelve marks and a goal against the Essendon Bombers in round 5. Following his success in the forward line during the previous season, it was believed that McDonald would continue in his newfound role while assisting in the ruck when required. However, a niggling toe injury during the following pre-season kept McDonald sidelined for the opening five rounds of the

2018 AFL season The 2018 AFL season was the 122nd season of the Australian Football League (AFL), the highest level senior men's Australian rules football competition in Australia, which was known as the Victorian Football League until 1989. The season feature ...

, before he finally returned with two goals and 16 disposals in a 36 point win against Essendon. During the 2018 Queen's Birthday match, McDonald kicked a career high six goals as Melbourne lost to Collingwood by 42 points. Mid-way through the season, McDonald signed with the Demons for a further four years. McDonald played a key role in Melbourne's 33 point Semi-Final win against Hawthorn, kicking a match high four goals as Melbourne triumphed by 33 points. Following Melbourne's loss to West Coast in the preliminary final the following week, McDonald had scored a total of 53 goals for the season, the most since any Melbourne player since Brad Green's 55 goal haul in 2010.

Views and personal life

In 2021 McDonald commented that he thought it was ‘ethically wrong’ for the AFL to mandate that AFL players be vaccinated against COVID to play. He subsequently was criticised by some in the media for this view. McDonald has previously appeared on a podcast for the right-wing think tank, the Institute of Public Affairs.

Statistics

''Updated to the end of round 13, 2023''. , - ,

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2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...

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2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...

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2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

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2015 File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the Apri ...

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2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...

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2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a ser ...

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2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...

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2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...

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2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, COVID- ...

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2021 File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October–November 2021 ...

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2022 File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; 2022 Sri Lankan protests, Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretari ...

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2023 Events Predicted and scheduled events * January 1 ** In the United States, books, films, and other works published in 1927 will enter the public domain, assuming there are no changes made to copyright law. ** Croatia will adopt the eu ...

, , , , 25 , 6 , , 8 , , 3 , , 36 , , 23 , , 59 , , 21 , , 11 , , 1.3 , , 0.5 , , 6.0 , , 3.8 , , 9.8 , , 3.5 , , 1.8 , , , - class=sortbottom ! colspan=3 , Career ! 208 !! 165 !! 85 !! 1953 !! 1284 !! 3237 !! 1125 !! 400 !! 0.8 !! 0.4 !! 9.4 !! 6.2 !! 15.6 !! 5.4 !! 1.9 !! 29 Notes

Honours and achievements

Team * AFL premiership player ():

* McClelland Trophy ():

Individual * Melbourne leading goalkicker: 2018 *

: 2012 * AFL Rising Star nominee: 2012 (Round 13)

External links

* * *

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:McDonald, Tom 1992 births Living people Australian rules footballers from Victoria (state) Melbourne Football Club players Greater Western Victoria Rebels players North Ballarat Football Club players Casey Demons players People educated at St Patrick's College, Ballarat Melbourne Football Club premiership players VFL/AFL premiership players