Player Watch #11: Luke "Two Dogs" McDonald - Roo til end '26

[Usayed Givashe]

Never got going after round 1.
Shows glimpses but god he has fallen away. Thought he’d be captain material but he’s just not really good enough to have an onfield presence.

Panicky, fumbled everything, moronic brain fades.

He was awesome in Round 1 and then reverted to type.

McKay should be next skipper.

 

[Psicosis]

A serious momentum killer against Port. Poor skill execution & attempting to break tackles he couldn’t. We need better from our leaders.

 

[TennisPlayerAndy]

Part of the Four Horseman of the Leadership Apocalypse.

It’s a huge problem.

 

[archereleven]

Moving him back to where he won a Syd would be a start...

On SM-G991B using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[SonofSamsquanch]

Moving him back to where he won a Syd would be a start...

On SM-G991B using BigFooty.com mobile app

I'd play him in the small defensive forwrd role.

 

[Marstermind]

Luke McDonald – 150 games
The 63rd player to play 150 AFL/VFL games for the North Melbourne Football Club

Played: 149 Won: 64 Drawn: 0 Lost: 85
​

Game 1 – Round 1, 2014 v Essendon (Docklands). Essendon 15.9-99 d. North Melbourne 9.6-60
Game 50 – Round 13, 2016 v Hawthorn (Docklands). Hawthorn 14.9-93 d. North Melbourne 11.18-84
Game 100 – Round 4, 2019 v Adelaide (Docklands). North Melbourne 9.17-71 d. Adelaide 8.11-59

Disposals
Game High: 35 (Round 9, 2020 v Adelaide)
Season High: 463 (2017)

Kicks
Game High: 25 (Round 9, 2020 v Adelaide)
Season High: 276 (2017)

Handballs
Game High: 16 (Round 11, 2018 v Brisbane Lions)
Season High: 187 (2017)

Marks
Game High: 12 (Round 1, 2022 Hawthorn)
Season High: 95 (2017)

Goals: 17 Behinds: 27​

Brownlow Medal Games
Round 9, 2020 v Adelaide – 2 votes

Finals:
Second Elimination Final, 2014 v Essendon
Second Semi Final 2014 v Geelong
First Preliminary Final 2014 v Sydney
First Semi Final, 2015 v Sydney
First Elimination Final, 2016 v Adelaide

Most Consecutive Games: 50 (Round 23, 2016 v Adelaide to Round 4, 2019 v Adelaide)
Has played 149 of 190 games since debut

Honours
Rising Star Nomination (Round 4, 2014 v Sydney)
Best & Fairest 2020
Club Vice-Captain 2021-

Father-sons to both play 150 games for NMFC
Luke & Donald McDonald are the first father-sons to both play 150 games for NMFC

 

[Lomas]

Luke McDonald – 150 games
The 63rd player to play 150 AFL/VFL games for the North Melbourne Football Club

Played: 149 Won: 64 Drawn: 0 Lost: 85
​

Game 1 – Round 1, 2014 v Essendon (Docklands). Essendon 15.9-99 d. North Melbourne 9.6-60
Game 50 – Round 13, 2016 v Hawthorn (Docklands). Hawthorn 14.9-93 d. North Melbourne 11.18-84
Game 100 – Round 4, 2019 v Adelaide (Docklands). North Melbourne 9.17-71 d. Adelaide 8.11-59

Disposals
Game High: 35 (Round 9, 2020 v Adelaide)
Season High: 463 (2017)

Kicks
Game High: 25 (Round 9, 2020 v Adelaide)
Season High: 276 (2017)

Handballs
Game High: 16 (Round 11, 2018 v Brisbane Lions)
Season High: 187 (2017)

Marks
Game High: 12 (Round 1, 2022 Hawthorn)
Season High: 95 (2017)

Goals: 17 Behinds: 27​

Brownlow Medal Games
Round 9, 2020 v Adelaide – 2 votes

Finals:
Second Elimination Final, 2014 v Essendon
Second Semi Final 2014 v Geelong
First Preliminary Final 2014 v Sydney
First Semi Final, 2015 v Sydney
First Elimination Final, 2016 v Adelaide

Most Consecutive Games: 50 (Round 23, 2016 v Adelaide to Round 4, 2019 v Adelaide)
Has played 149 of 190 games since debut

Honours
Rising Star Nomination (Round 4, 2014 v Sydney)
Best & Fairest 2020
Club Vice-Captain 2021-

Father-sons to both play 150 games for NMFC
Luke & Donald McDonald are the first father-sons to both play 150 games for NMFC

Say what you will about WCE doing us over to take him so high, but on track for 200 games and a BNF is not a loss.

 

[Snojet]

Say what you will about WCE doing us over to take him so high, but on track for 200 games and a BNF is not a loss.

A few handy players behind him in that draft. That Cripps bloke goes alright.
2 Brownlow votes in 150 games isn’t setting the place on fire.
Still making basic disposal errors way too often.
Never stops trying but is never going to win us a match. Is indicative of where we are at as a club.

 

[tazaa]

That Round 1 game he played out of his skin. Havnt seen it since. 12 marks

 

[Horizons_00]

That Round 1 game he played out of his skin. Havnt seen it since. 12 marks

He’s just one of the players that has lost interest

 

[shimaburnsgrieg]

That Round 1 game he played out of his skin. Havn't seen it since. 12 marks

Given LMac's large sample size it would have to be said that the Round 1 game was an outlier - not the norm.

 

[amaz199]

Given LMac's large sample size it would have to be said that the Round 1 game was an outlier - not the norm.

Rubbish. His 2020 season says otherwise.

Team is struggling and he's being asked to cope with the repeat unpressured entries.

 

[groo]

Rubbish. His 2020 season says otherwise.

Team is struggling and he's being asked to cope with the repeat unpressured entries.

Un-pressured entries from poor exit option/execution in the first instance.

 

[giantroo]

 

[giantroo]

 

[The Warlord]

A serious momentum killer against Port. Poor skill execution & attempting to break tackles he couldn’t. We need better from our leaders.

Luke is a perfect example of why we are where we are.

Highly rated juniour, top ten pick, supremely confident in himself, gets the Shinboner 11 jumper - but what's he actually done?

He's never looked close to AA selection, one B+F in a bodgy COVID year when he finally decided to pull his finger out after 6 or 7 years on the list.

Can anyone name three great games he's played? Top shelf had a major impact on the result games?

And what would we get for him if we put him on the block for trade at the end of the year? Pick 30 - 40ish?

We can't change the fact that we don't have top shelf senior players to scaffold our rebuild like Hawthorn and Collingwood.

But the likes of Luke just don't deliver what's required for senior leaders when we need them most.

He needs to up his output to 120 per cent, and just doesn't. And he reckons he could be captain lol.

No doubting his passion for the club, but we're all madly passionate here too.

We're stuck with him for a while given the contract, but jeez he'd want to produce a bit more in the back end of his career, especially when you consider what his contemporaries have done: Kelly, Bontempelli, Salem, Cripps.

 

[hotchilli]

Luke is a perfect example of why we are where we are.

Highly rated juniour, top ten pick, supremely confident in himself, gets the Shinboner 11 jumper - but what's he actually done?

He's never looked close to AA selection, one B+F in a bodgy COVID year when he finally decided to pull his finger out after 6 or 7 years on the list.

Can anyone name three great games he's played? Top shelf had a major impact on the result games?

And what would we get for him if we put him on the block for trade at the end of the year? Pick 30 - 40ish?

We can't change the fact that we don't have top shelf senior players to scaffold our rebuild like Hawthorn and Collingwood.

But the likes of Luke just don't deliver what's required for senior leaders when we need them most.

He needs to up his output to 120 per cent, and just doesn't. And he reckons he could be captain lol.

No doubting his passion for the club, but we're all madly passionate here too.

We're stuck with him for a while given the contract, but jeez he'd want to produce a bit more in the back end of his career, especially when you consider what his contemporaries have done: Kelly, Bontempelli, Salem, Cripps.

I think the 4-5 years of drafting after Luke's draft year is a perfect example of why we are where we are.

 

[The Warlord]

I think the 4-5 years of drafting after Luke's draft year is a perfect example of why we are where we are.

It doesn't help, but neither does making excuses for him.

Plenty of guys have been AA in a s**t team.

He's never even looked close.

Crippa went a few picks after him in that drafyt and done great things in a Carlton team that's been mostly shitful in his time there.

 

[Val Keating]

Luke is a perfect example of why we are where we are.

Highly rated juniour, top ten pick, supremely confident in himself, gets the Shinboner 11 jumper - but what's he actually done?

He's never looked close to AA selection, one B+F in a bodgy COVID year when he finally decided to pull his finger out after 6 or 7 years on the list.

Can anyone name three great games he's played? Top shelf had a major impact on the result games?

And what would we get for him if we put him on the block for trade at the end of the year? Pick 30 - 40ish?

We can't change the fact that we don't have top shelf senior players to scaffold our rebuild like Hawthorn and Collingwood.

But the likes of Luke just don't deliver what's required for senior leaders when we need them most.

He needs to up his output to 120 per cent, and just doesn't. And he reckons he could be captain lol.

No doubting his passion for the club, but we're all madly passionate here too.

We're stuck with him for a while given the contract, but jeez he'd want to produce a bit more in the back end of his career, especially when you consider what his contemporaries have done: Kelly, Bontempelli, Salem, Cripps.

He runs both ways for a start. In a side where that’s really lacking the last thing we should do is trade a player who is defensively accountable.

 

[The Warlord]

He runs both ways for a start. In a side where that’s really lacking the last thing we should do is trade a player who is defensively accountable.

We can find blokes in the VFl or SANFL who run both ways.

As it is, you're right and we do need to keep him because we have stuff all else.

But he's not delivered on his talent and he's not pulling his weight as a senior player in the rebuild.

 

[Only Forwards]

We can find blokes in the VFl or SANFL who run both ways.

As it is, you're right and we do need to keep him because we have stuff all else.

But he's not delivered on his talent and he's not pulling his weight as a senior player in the rebuild.

There's like 1 bloke who is a senior player who seems like they are pulling their weight and we are likely to cut that guy at the end of the year.....

 

[Val Keating]

We can find blokes in the VFl or SANFL who run both ways.

As it is, you're right and we do need to keep him because we have stuff all else.

But he's not delivered on his talent and he's not pulling his weight as a senior player in the rebuild.

Disagree.

 

[ferball]

Can anyone name three great games he's played? Top shelf had a major impact on the result games?

Two against Adelaide, one against the Lions, I'm sure there are a couple more in 2016...

But that kind of reinforces your point doesn't it...

 

[ferball]

Anyway congratulations on playing 150 Luke.

 

[the flying ham]

Absolute dog s**t posting on here the eve of his 150th. Onya Luke, your 2020 was a small glimpse into what you can do when you get a clear run at it. Hopefully with some improvements around the game you will get back there.