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

[Snake_Baker]

If you look at the afl match feed on the official site in Q4 at 18:48 It says this:

"Lincoln McCarthy gets Brisbane's second goal in a minute to put them back in front. After kicking a game high four goals against the Eagles last week he has been well held by Luke McDonald who has allowed him to win just four disposals from 40 minutes of time matched up against him."

That was after MW's injury and our backline structure failing in the fourth.

1st goal: McCarthy kicked from a centre clearance from a free kick-play on call that bounced through for a goal. McDonald was not his opponent:




2nd goal, ball dropped straight in to his hands after he didn't hold the mark. Pure. Arse.




Luke beat him.

 

[Snake_Baker]

Gets blood rushes like our captain and just kicks the s**t out of it with one of his default (awful) kicking actions/ball drops. When he stays calm and shapes a kick he's pretty bloody good. Was expecting an increased fitness base to directly influence his efficiency by enabling him to be physically under less duress and thus mentally sharper. Alas.

He's incredibly one sided and not quite quick enough to deal with quick close checking pressure.

 

[Only Forwards]

This is the thing. He's applying himself well...............but the kicking and decision making, Jesus H Christ!

It has to be mental too, as I know he can freakin' kick!

This could have been said about Jacobs pre tagging.

Infact given the defensive issues in the centre the idea may have some merit.

Simplifies things for Luke and covers a gaping f***ing hole we have.

Make Luke a tagger. His rules would be simple
1. Defend you opponent
2. If it's there win it
3. First option football.

 

[kaboom kid]

He's incredibly one sided and not quite quick enough to deal with quick close checking pressure.

Yes, Boomer didn't really have a left side but it didn't matter because he was quick and evasive enough to get on to his right. Polec a bit the same. Luke....not so much.

 

[kaboom kid]

This could have been said about Jacobs pre tagging.

Infact given the defensive issues in the centre the idea may have some merit.

Simplifies things for Luke and covers a gaping f***ing hole we have.

Make Luke a tagger. His rules would be simple
1. Defend you opponent
2. If it's there win it
3. First option football.

This isn't a bad shout, however I think Brad might have already tried this? Can anyone remember Luke being used a tagger?

 

[jclei]

I dont think we can drop him with Marley out of the side and the reality is with EVW now out of the side we are short on medium/small defenders. We have LMac and Pittard with Murphy coming through the 2's. I think as a defender Luke goes ok - he works really hard too.

As others have mentioned its going forward where he is horribly out of form at the moment. His kicking is a disaster and geez it must be easy to defend him given he just will not attempt anything on his right unless he absolutely has to (and even then sometimes he just takes the tackle instead). I have no idea why he cant hit up a short lead ever anymore. I swear he used to be able to do it. But bombs away seems to be the only thing he will consider. I guess when you are low on confidence with your kicking it is always going to be easier to just blast the thing as far as you can.

I would prefer he spent some time in the 2's but not while Marley and EVW are injured. Lets all remember that Brad has not replaced Marley in the team and instead (according to the team sheet) moved JMac to back pocket instead. Last thing we need is LMac dropped right at the moment. Hoping a full season spent in defence will see him again rise to the levels we saw in his first season down back

 

[Dirty_11]

This is the thing. He's applying himself well...............but the kicking and decision making, Jesus H Christ!

It has to be mental too, as I know he can freakin' kick!

I genuinely want this kid to be good. His effort is always top shelf but the rest of his game has fallen away over the past 18 months. I think there is merit in moulding him into Ben Jacob’s successor, even if this has to be done via the VFL. When he is consistently having 20 and keeping his man to #### all, bring him back in.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[ferball]

This isn't a bad shout, however I think Brad might have already tried this? Can anyone remember Luke being used a tagger?

Early in 2017 he ran with Fyfe in the last quarter of a game. We lost a lead in the last 2 minutes and Fyfe beat us and Luke. That's the only example I definitel remember.

 

[The Nostradamus]

Luke tagged Sloane and killed him

 

[roos_fanatic08]

Played well on Puopolo.

Decision making was still poo.

Coach is absolutely destroying the A grade talent that once was.

 

[Snake_Baker]

Played the shuutdown role well.

 

[shinboner spiggs]

There’s no issue with the way he’s defending but whatever confidence he had in his footskills is dead, stuffed, taxidermed and hid away in the corner.

We need skills around half back, but the u18 McDonald, gone he is.

 

[Snake_Baker]

There’s no issue with the way he’s defending but whatever confidence he had in his footskills is dead, stuffed and taxidermed and hid away in the corner.

We need skills around half back, but the u18 McDonald, gone he is.

I'm backing in the entire list until I see them under a proper coach.

 

[tazaa]

Luke isn’t a defender
And we can’t afford to play him down back
The new rules dictate if you can’t use the footy well you are a liability
Like MacMillan he has no elite traits but they aren’t defenders

 

[Only Forwards]

Played the shuutdown role well.

Should be playing that role in the guts.

 

[mouncey2franklin]

I haven't given up on this guy. Yet.

Is it true he was on Puopolo today? If so, then bravo.

'Poppy' was odds-on for the Kerridge Shield coming into today.

Don't get me wrong, at his peak, Poppy could play. But he is an old man now in a young man's position.

And yet we were ripe for the picking and somebody -- apparently Luke -- kept him goalless.

 

[kangaspurs]

Defended well today.

But the fact that we can probably use that as a compliment for a former pick 8 and elite junior is a bit sad.

 

[LuvtheKangas]

Yeah, he was OK when he was stopping, but as usual he struggled when he got the ball. Indecisive, gets caught and rarely delivers to advantage.

If this is a positive then we're f***ed.

 

[Ball Dont Lie]

Was better. He is a problem but not the main problem. He shows heaps of heart and has limited skills. We judge him to harshly as we had great expectations for him

 

[Billy Not Really]

Thought he played a much better game today, really had some good lockdown defensive moments.

He kept Poppy silent all day. His skills by hand and foot though have diminished, he's not as dynamic as he used to be and thats probably due to being too ingratiated in his role.

 

[Devil Fish]

Was throwing his guts up at 1/4 time.
I reckon that aint the first time I’ve seen him do that either.
Cant believe how far he is from his 2017 form.

 

[Horizons_00]

I reckon he smothered poppy

He can be a great defensive/shutdown player

Play him as a tagger. Just try something different. He is fitter this year

 

[giantroo]

Game 100 this week.

 

[King Corey]

Worked extremely hard. There's still a player there, physical, competitive and potentially effective.

His timing is all off in some contests but based on the way he turned some of his game around yesterday am tending to think that's representative of the team's rudderless direction.

 

[Heaps of fun]

Hope he can take some confidence from that great contested intercept mark. Needs to add something like that to his game or else he's incredibly replaceable as a slow, medium defender.