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

[ChoppyGun]

Been a shining light in an otherwise difficult year.

Good on him.

 

[DuckYeah]

He’s had six good weeks and a couple of decent tagging jobs. He’s only just emerged from the Whipping Boy Clubhouse around here, let alone league wide.

He may end up being a bargain pick? .. he captained vic metro, (i believe) definitely made of the right stuff

 

[North Star Investments]

Is Luke more effective as a tagger playing in the guts or as a half-back flanker?

Or can he rotate between both?

 

[amaz199]

Is Luke more effective as a tagger playing in the guts or as a half-back flanker?

Or can he rotate between both?

Rotating between both he could probably do but we are straining him as is. Unless we move him from HBF to onballer for the rest of the game as a 'steady the ship' measure, he stays at HBF in elite form.

Besides, it's not about Luke doing both roles, it's about his teammates playing to a standard so he can just cover one role.

 

[Bigeasy]

I think the media have already given that to Maynard. He's having a similar year to Luke only not in a North Melbourne jumper. If Luke keeps up this form for a couple more years he might be considered as "almost in AA contention".

Maynard is having an outstanding year and IS the best HBF at the moment.

 

[ferball]

He’s not a bad kick either.. Its the beard, beards have magical powers

Mine does.

 

[LuvtheKangas]

Maynard is having an outstanding year and IS the best HBF at the moment.

Was about to say the same thing.

 

[Bigeasy]

Was about to say the same thing.

Even with the word "is" capitalised?

 

[LuvtheKangas]

Even with the word "is" capitalised?

Nah, so we differ on that. I would have kept "is" in lower case.

But bolded and underlined.

 

[FootySmartSimpson]

The collective defensive unit of Anderson, Dumont and Simpkin in the middle is thing that will keep McDonald attacking across HB.

 

[Snake_Baker]

Maynard is having an outstanding year and IS the best HBF at the moment.

Luke would also be behind Lloyd, but he's bridging the gap quickly.

Note, I stated "contention" IF he continues along the current patch.

 

[roos_fanatic08]

It’s awesome to see him living up to his talent. His decision making and execution has improved 5 fold on last year.

 

[Colbys Boots]

Be interesting to bookmark this but my gut feel is that Luke has gone ahead of Todd in the Syd count by now.

 

[SMaturin]

Well Kane Cornes agrees with me and says he should be in contention so stick that where the sun don’t shine, my haters.

 

[LuvtheKangas]

Well Kane Cornes agrees with me and says he should be in contention so stick that where the sun don’t shine, my haters.

Case closed. With Kane in your corner, you can't lose.

 

[3051]

Luke has averaged 28 disposals over the past 5 games since the Adelaide 'breakout' game. In his first 8 games of the season, he averaged just 14 disposals. He has doubled his output to a level where he would be equal with Lachie Neale for the second highest average disposals in the game. Does anyone have any insight on how he has just turned it around in such dramatic fashion? Even more dramatic seeing that it's essentially been 2.5 years of stagnating and even regressing play. Love what I'm seeing now and really hope he can maintain this level.

 

[susurrar]

Luke has averaged 28 disposals over the past 5 games since the Adelaide 'breakout' game. In his first 8 games of the season, he averaged just 14 disposals. He has doubled his output to a level where he would be equal with Lachie Neale for the second highest average disposals in the game. Does anyone have any insight on how he has just turned it around in such dramatic fashion? Even more dramatic seeing that it's essentially been 2.5 years of stagnating and even regressing play. Love what I'm seeing now and really hope he can maintain this level.

well he had a role change which explains the disposal numbers. he was playing just as well if not better before that but without the flashy numbers.

 

[RobZombie]

He may end up being a bargain pick? .. he captained vic metro, (i believe) definitely made of the right stuff

Hmm, it's hard to imagine any top 10 pick as a "bargain", though there are plenty at the bottom end of the top 10 who end up as solid rather than stars. At midseason when he seemed to have basically got his act together I would have said that's great and positive but we've still spent pick 8 on a defensive role player - a flanker/tagger.

Now if he's able to keep his current run of form going consistently, there's no way you'd begrudge pick 8. If he continues as an A-grade defender/distributor off half back it's a really important piece of the defensive rebuild sorted, in the age group where the list is struggling the most. Regardless, we paid full freight with the bid for him, thanks to the idiotic previous bidding system.

 

[andana]

Luke has averaged 28 disposals over the past 5 games since the Adelaide 'breakout' game. In his first 8 games of the season, he averaged just 14 disposals. He has doubled his output to a level where he would be equal with Lachie Neale for the second highest average disposals in the game. Does anyone have any insight on how he has just turned it around in such dramatic fashion? Even more dramatic seeing that it's essentially been 2.5 years of stagnating and even regressing play. Love what I'm seeing now and really hope he can maintain this level.

Finally the L in Lmac stands for Leven [ 11]

 

[LB2Snake]

Finally the L in Lmac stands for Leven [ 11]

Spinal Tap reference?

 

[andana]

Spinal Tap reference?

I googled that ^ reference. You are spot on.

 

[LB2Snake]

I googled that ^ reference. You are spot on.

"nah, it's 1 louder"

 

[marklovesbeer]

 

[DesertRoo]

View attachment 948995

Have you got a dollar mate?

 

[andana]

Lmac v suns.
Lmac 18 kicks
suns 19 behinds