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

Status
Not open for further replies.
The pomposity of some of you folks is startling.

If he was as uncommitted as some of you suggest, he wouldn't be on the list. End of story.

Hes committed just not fully.
 
Apr 24, 2013
81,024
153,170
Arden Street Hill
AFL Club
North Melbourne
Other Teams
Essendon Lawn Bowls Club
Okay, can you provide me with the scale of "committed" for the senior playing list of the NMFC, so I can see where Luke fits in the big picture?

Who is number one? Where is Luke ranked?

Then I would like to know who is 17th and 18th.
 
Jun 9, 2001
37,642
145,026
Fogarty Street
AFL Club
North Melbourne
Other Teams
St Johnstone
The pomposity of some of you folks is startling.

If he was as uncommitted as some of you suggest, he wouldn't be on the list. End of story.

Agree with some of this.

But consider this - we've never had a preseason where Luke is a player of note being mentioned by coaches and peers alike as having trained the house down. He's been a decent player from his first season but never seems to have shown any significant development over and above a fairly standard trajectory.

Compare him to Dumont who's the same age and has incrementally chipped away breaking through to another level last season.

Luke isn't a failure but for a bloke bid at pick #6 entering his 6th season the expectations to this point might've been a little higher.
 
Compare him to Dumont who's the same age and has incrementally chipped away breaking through to another level last season.

Luke isn't a failure but for a bloke bid at pick #6 entering his 6th season the expectations to this point might've been a little higher.

Fair. It's harsh in a sense, but only because the industry is. At this stage he's a journeyman, only he knows whether he wants to and has the drive to be more.
 

Groin guru

Brownlow Medallist
Apr 21, 2017
10,261
29,970
Destination Club
AFL Club
North Melbourne
Anything less than 100% isn't enough in today's game. The stakes are too high and the bar is always being raised. Only few can coast on their natural talents and that is because they are exceptionally gifted.

It comes down to a simple nature vs. nurture type situation. Luke grew up in a football family and that gives you the right of passage. You get better training and exposure. That + natural talent puts you above kids the same age. But when you get drafted it resets, you need to build or you come back with the pack. Sooner or later you get left behind. Luke even had the advantage of training with North before being drafted (essentially almost another year with bigger bodies and better facilities). It's all mental from there. Luke is at a level where he can easily get 200 games, but it's up to him when it comes to the quality of those games.

Has a life of football zapped him?
Is being a solid B- player with good money enough to fulfil his goals?
Does he just want a good balance?
Who knows...

I do think we are a long way from the boy that ran down cyril or the type of heart and soul player that Spud honoured with his jumper. He's also a long way down the list of players I'd want to captain North. I hope he turns it around, if not for himself, for the club, and for the #11's that wore the jumper before him.
 
Okay, can you provide me with the scale of "committed" for the senior playing list of the NMFC, so I can see where Luke fits in the big picture?

Who is number one? Where is Luke ranked?

Then I would like to know who is 17th and 18th.

This is a ridiculous request Tef and you know it.

Let's look at the visible.

1. His body shape has never changed, see Simpkin, Dumont and McKay as opposite examples

2. Moved out of midfield because he couldnt get to enough contests

3. His pace has diminished

4. His kicking is average which was supposed to be his strength.

These things lead to the obvious conclusion hes not working hard enough. In today's game, it's pretty obvious who has and hasnt done the extra yards.

Now if you want to blow the scope of the argument to include every player so that you can delve into the minutiae of how each player was ranked, then forget it, not interested mate.
 
Apr 24, 2013
81,024
153,170
Arden Street Hill
AFL Club
North Melbourne
Other Teams
Essendon Lawn Bowls Club
This is a ridiculous request Tef and you know it.

Let's look at the visible.

1. His body shape has never changed, see Simpkin, Dumont and McKay as opposite examples

1547024461427.png
1547024607195.png


Started at 80 kgs and is now 89 kgs. He's still only 23, and will top out at around 92-3 kgs in the next 3-4 years.

There's nothing wrong with his shape or size.

2. Moved out of midfield because he couldnt get to enough contests

He never actually played as a contested midfielder in 2017. Still finished only 8 CP's outside the 2017 AFL top 100.

3. His pace has diminished

Really? Do you have any solid data?

4. His kicking is average which was supposed to be his strength.

2018 DE% is ~3% under the competition average (negligible), whilst he's 57th in the comp for metres gained, and 3rd at our club for MG.

IMO, his issues are primarily a result of the thing I have referred to time and again when defending WBC members. Inadequate pace and endurance in the midfield.
 
Apr 24, 2013
81,024
153,170
Arden Street Hill
AFL Club
North Melbourne
Other Teams
Essendon Lawn Bowls Club
When you declare him as the best kid in his draft...you have no choice but to defend all the way to the hilt.


You DON'T think he should have won the Rising Star?

Here's the top 10.

1547027835086.png


I only see two players that are currently better and one of them is a once in a generation freak.
 
Apr 24, 2013
81,024
153,170
Arden Street Hill
AFL Club
North Melbourne
Other Teams
Essendon Lawn Bowls Club
‘A new’...there was a bunch hey Snake_Baker !!

It's going to be interesting to sit back and watch the likes of Turner, McDonald, MacMillan and Hrovat this year with Polec & Hall added to the midfield.

They might be able to spend less time tracking oncoming opponents, as well as their own, and actually focus on getting a kick.
 
Mar 14, 2002
61,753
83,127
Gasometer Wing
AFL Club
North Melbourne
Other Teams
Kangaroos
It's going to be interesting to sit back and watch the likes of Turner, McDonald, MacMillan and Hrovat this year with Polec & Hall added to the midfield.

They might be able to spend less time tracking oncoming opponents, as well as their own, and actually focus on getting a kick.

I was only browsing though the Whipping Boy thread the other day for a laugh but anywho let’s see wat reaction I get re Lmacs gf sprint effort
 
Apr 24, 2013
81,024
153,170
Arden Street Hill
AFL Club
North Melbourne
Other Teams
Essendon Lawn Bowls Club
I was only browsing though the Whipping Boy thread the other day for a laugh but anywho let’s see wat reaction I get re Lmacs gf sprint effort

I'm prepared to conclude he doesn't have elite pace, but he's not slow either.

So what? Tom Mitchell isn't that quick, and neither is Martyn.

What they do have is the freedom to be completely offensive footballers, which is really what suits Luke best. Unfortunately we haven't had the combined midfield running power to allow him to play that role..................yet.

Symbiosis Gaso, people will learn this word.
 
Mar 14, 2002
61,753
83,127
Gasometer Wing
AFL Club
North Melbourne
Other Teams
Kangaroos
I'm prepared to conclude he doesn't have elite pace, but he's not slow either.

So what? Tom Mitchell isn't that quick, and neither is Martyn.

What they do have is the freedom to be completely offensive footballers, which is really what suits Luke best. Unfortunately we haven't had the combined midfield running power to allow him to play that role..................yet.

Symbiosis Gaso, people will learn this word.

Symbiosis
 
I'm prepared to conclude he doesn't have elite pace, but he's not slow either.

So what? Tom Mitchell isn't that quick, and neither is Martyn.

What they do have is the freedom to be completely offensive footballers, which is really what suits Luke best. Unfortunately we haven't had the combined midfield running power to allow him to play that role..................yet.

Symbiosis Gaso, people will learn this word.

Won't need to look far for that word. The new Marvel film Venom mentions it plenty of times.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back