Tom McDonald (Australian footballer)

McDonald was recruited by the Melbourne Football Club with their fourth selection and fifty-third overall in the 2010 national draft.[4] After playing in the 2011 NAB Cup,[5] he spent the majority of the season playing in the Victorian Football League (VFL) for Melbourne's affiliate team, the Casey Scorpions.[3] He made his AFL debut in the thirty point win against Gold Coast at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in round twenty-three where he recorded eighteen disposals, six marks, six rebound-50s and four tackles, playing as a backman,[6] and he was named in the best players by AFL Media[7] and The Age.[8] He maintained his spot in the team the next week for the final match of the year in the eight point loss against Port Adelaide at the Adelaide Oval, to finish with two matches for the year.[9]

After a strong pre-season in 2012,[10] he played his first match for the year in the 108-point loss to West Coast at Patersons Stadium in round two.[11] He spent the season playing full back.[12] After playing on Jonathon Patton in the seventy-eight point win against Greater Western Sydney 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.[13] 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 Brisbane the previous week.[14] He returned for the round sixteen match against Fremantle at Etihad Stadium and played the remainder of the year to finish with twenty matches for the season.[15] His performances during the year earned him third-place in Melbourne's best and fairest count, behind Nathan Jones and Jack Grimes,[16] and the Harold Ball Memorial Trophy as Melbourne's best young player.[17] Furthermore, he finished sixth in the Rising Star award.[18]

After the departure of defender, Jared Rivers, McDonald played a more prominent role in Melbourne's backline during the 2013 season.[19] He played his first match of the year in the 148-point loss against Essendon at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in round two[20] and played the next four matches before missing four weeks due to a shoulder injury.[21] He returned to the side for the eighty-three point loss against Collingwood in the annual Queen's Birthday clash in round eleven.[22] He did not miss a match for the remainder of the season to finish with seventeen matches for the year[9] and a tenth-place finish in Melbourne's best and fairest count.[23]

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.[24] He played twenty-one matches for the season, resulting in a seventh-place finish in Melbourne's best and fairest.[25]

McDonald at training in July 2015

After introducing a more offensive style into the way his game,[26] McDonald opened the 2015 AFL season with a team-high twenty-six disposals in the twenty-six point win against Gold Coast[27] and was named in the best players.[28] The departure of James Frawley, saw McDonald emerge as the number one defender at Melbourne.[29] He spent the second half of the year playing in both the forward and back line,[30] which drew the praise of both then-senior coach Paul Roos and backline coach, Jade Rawlings, for his versatility.[31][32] He played every match for the year,[33] which earned him a third-place finish in Melbourne's best and fairest.[34]

On the eve of the 2016 season, McDonald was named in Melbourne's leadership group.[35] Due to finish the season out-of-contract, speculation surrounded his season as to whether he would re-sign with the club.[36][37][38] 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.[39] The round sixteen match against Fremantle at TIO Stadium 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.[40] He played his 100th AFL match in the two-point win against Gold Coast at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in round nineteen.[41] He played every match during the year and finished sixth in Melbourne's best and fairest count.[42]

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

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.[43] He subsequently was criticised by some in the media for this view.[44]

McDonald has previously appeared on a podcast for the right-wing think tank, the Institute of Public Affairs.[45]