Melbourne’s Tom McDonald agrees to four-year extension with the Demons

NEWLY re-signed Melbourne star Tom McDonald expects to remain in attack, despite defender Jake Lever’s season-ending knee injury, as he revealed he never seriously entertained leaving the Demons.

Jack Viney (left) with Tom McDonald (middle) and Nathan Jones. Pic: Getty Images

NEWLY re-signed Melbourne star Tom McDonald expects to remain in attack, despite defender Jake Lever’s season-ending knee injury, as he revealed he never seriously entertained leaving the Demons.

McDonald, 25, has locked in to a four-year deal with the Demons, taking him through until the end of the 2022 season.

He said committing long-term to the club was “the biggest decision in terms of my professional career”, but stressed he hadn’t spoken with any rival clubs.

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McDonald was one of the highest profile free agents at season’s end after kicking 19 goals in attack from his six games this year.

“In the end, I really wanted to play for Melbourne,” McDonald said. “We have negotiated a deal that is fair for both sides and we come out of it really happy.

“I get to play for the footy club for the next four years at least and hopefully longer.”

Tom McDonald is in sublime form. Pic: AAP

McDonald’s switch from defence to attack has been a big success. Pic: Michael Klein

McDonald said he was comfortable with the direction the Demons were headed, which played a significant part in his decision-making.

“I have had confidence in the last couple of years that we were going in the right direction,” he said. “Probably in the first four or five years of my career, we weren’t, and you were probably just hoping things were going the right way.

“Now we know they are going in the right way.

“I probably have the best view of it internally. We have the right people in the right places to take the club forward, and I think the players have been the last step in that process. I think we have the right players to challenge going forward.”

Tommy Mac could have held the Demons over a barrel until finals, held out for seven figures elsewhere. Just like Oliver who signed until 2021, players want to be at Melbourne. Great news and great timing

— Jon Ralph (@RalphyHeraldSun) June 5, 2018

McDonald resumed in Round 6 from a foot issue, and had some further issues with his foot/toe ahead of the game against Adelaide in Alice Springs a fortnight ago after trying to modify his boot to make them more comfortable.

But that discomfort aside he said his foot felt better than it has all in Saturday’s clash with Western Bulldogs, when he kicked four goals.

He is confident Lever’s injury won’t see the club swing him back to defence.

“They haven’t said anything to me (about a move back to defence), I think I saw (football manager) Josh (Mahoney) say something on radio that he doesn’t think it would happen,” McDonald said.

“If needs be, I would do it, but I think they will probably look at other guys who have been playing in the reserves (VFL).

“I have really enjoyed the role (in the forward line) and it suits me as a player ... I feel really comfortable as a forward that I can do the role week in and week out, whether that is playing a really high level game or doing what is required in a certain week.

“When you have guys like Jesse (Hogan) and Jake Melksham who play such a pivotal role in the team, it is not required on one bloke to do it every week.”

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Originally published as Melbourne’s Tom McDonald agrees to four-year extension with the Demons