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

[The Nostradamus]

having a great year
Top 5 bnf type year

 

[DarwinRoo]

I didn’t watch the game so I’m going to assume that Gokangas thought he was s**t again.

 

[Billy Not Really]

We've been waiting for years for him to pull his finger out and take it seriously, and he has. He's all business out there now, doing a damn good job of it too.

Had some serious scalps over the weeks, took a while but McDonald's finally come good.

 

[Zondor]

Been calling it since Jacobs, he is the next tagger, he should always be playing up field.

He has been asking for it way back when Scotts was still in charge but did that Bozo listen to LMac? :stern look

 

[scottywiper]

Staggering how long this experiment took to occur.

 

[Psicosis]

Needs to tag every week.

 

[Scallop Industry Thug]

Top 5 in the B and F so far. Nice surprise.

 

[amaz199]

keep him there.

as good as he was defensively i also like having him around the ball. hes cleaner with ground balls than most our mids and he can get his arms free nicely. quick reactions and quick release handballs.

His draft profile shows exactly the traits he has held onto.

2013 Draft Profile: Luke McDonald

Luke McDonald (Werribee/Oakleigh Chargers) Height: 188 cm Weight: 80 kg Position: Midfielder Player comparison: Shannon Hurn Strengths: Disposal, Strength, Penetration Weaknesses: Consistency Luke McDonald is the one player in the 2013 draft crop that has known his fate for quite some time. The...

afl.draftcentral.com.au

Quoted from the draft profile link:

Luke McDonald is the one player in the 2013 draft crop that has known his fate for quite some time. The son of North Melbourne football chief Donald McDonald will be heading to the Kangaroos at their first pick which will turn out to be about accurate for this incredibly talented player.

At the start of the year McDonald opted to drop out of the AIS Academy to give another young player a chance given he knew he was already going to be drafted and instead chose to play the year with North Melbourne’s affiliate Werribee.

If you believe most North fans, McDonald is set to win the next ten Brownlow’s and lead his club to glory singlehandedly. While this is a gross exaggeration like with most father-son picks, McDonald is definitely going to be something special.

In 2013 McDonald didn’t have the best Under 18s Championships despite picking up a fair few possessions in most matches. He looked like a man who was already drafted and no doubt a number of clubs wouldn’t be fooled by his drop in performance. While North Melbourne would be crossing its fingers and toes that they can snare him with a second round pick, it is almost impossible to suggest a club won’t make a bid given the Kangaroos have played their hand by committing to him.

Without a doubt McDonald is a top ten draft pick between the five to seven mark at this stage so North Melbourne who should have a pick around seven to 10 will be happy with what they are getting.

McDonald is an outside midfielder who can find his own ball and use it incredibly well. While the likes of Aish, Salem and Kelly are ahead of him, McDonald is still in the next bracket of users. When playing for Vic Metro, McDonald was entrusted with the kick-ins. He was somewhat disappointing against South Australia and even drew some Bronx cheers from the crowd when he hit a target after successive turnovers.

That game does not reflect what McDonald brings to the table and his penetrating kick compared to his defensive pressure should hold him in good stead for the future. While there are so many question marks about where Aish, Boyd and Kelly will go, McDonald is the one name you can pencil in now.

McDonald is also very versatile and can play up forward to hit the scoreboard while drifting back to defence in order to cover another player and create plays from the half back line and break the zones. He’s also strong overhead and is able to read the play well which is why McDonald is such a talented proposition.

It will be no surprise that McDonald will play some AFL matches next year given he is effectively already in the system through his time with Werribee this year. If McDonald can continue to improve, a midfield that contains himself as well as Jack Ziebell, Ben Cunnington and Andrew Swallow will be one to watch for the future.

McDonald may not be the second coming of Jesus like most North fans are predicting, but he is a seriously talented player who will make an impact on the big stage and should cement in place in the North Melbourne midfield over the next few years.

The bold are the traits he has utilised in the past. But, his defensive side of his game has been the revelation this year. He has also retained the midfielder elements of his game to take care of Bont and go the other way offensive wise.

He is tracking very well.

 

[The acurate one]

Yeah he was good last night. Purely from a business decision I’d rather we didn’t pay a thoroughbred price for a pack mule though .

 

[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

Tooting my own horn here back from April 2019

Loved his game last night!

 

[Grogg]

Flogged a bloke who has routinely put us to the sword over the last couple of years & deserves all the plaudits he gets.

Really happy for him.

 

[tazaa]

As many of us wonder, since two thousand and ******* 17 when he annihilated Sloane why has it only taken 3 years to understand this is his best role.
We are kidding ourselves down there aren’t we.

 

[gokangas]

The more he can annoy someone else without kicking the ball himself the better. Excellent game on Bont. In fact I reckon Bont will only get two brownlow votes this week.

 

[Val Keating]

having a great year
Top 5 bnf type year

Top 5 in the B and F so far. Nice surprise.

Just came here to state the same thing. Would comfortably sitting in the top 5 of the bnf

 

[Horizons_00]

The more he can annoy someone else without kicking the ball himself the better. Excellent game on Bont. In fact I reckon Bont will only get two brownlow votes this week.

had one turnover. One. Had 5 score involvements while wearing Bont like a glove

and went at:

 

[gokangas]

M8 he had one turnover. One. Had 5 score involvements while wearing Bont like a glove

and went at:

View attachment 906789

I was actually praising him. Did well.

 

[Horizons_00]

I was actually praising him. Did well.

My bad lol his possession this year has really improved

 

[Only Forwards]

We are kidding ourselves down there aren’t we.

Yes and the joke is not f***ing funny from this side is it.

 

[marklovesbeer]

Bloody hell Luke is having a good season.
Would be top three or four in the B&F now with Goldy, Simpkin & Taz...?

That tackle in the forward line to open up for the Higgins soccered goal during the 3rd quarter. Nice.

Happy he’s wearing number 11.

Keep it up Shinboner!

 

[Roo Beauty]

Jacobs 2.0

 

[Dan]

Kept Shiel quiet....tackle that led to Higgins goal was good.

 

[LuvtheKangas]

I think we've learned he's better up the ground, with a job to do.

 

[TennisPlayerAndy]

Has found his place.

Thrives when given a task to stick to.

 

[LB2Snake]

He’s hard AF at the ball and man. Love it.

 

[tazaa]

Best pair of games he’s put together in his career.
It’s the one thing Shaw has done right.