Melbourne’s Tom McDonald relished extra time with family during AFL shutdown
It was a frustrating 2019 for Tom McDonald when a knee injury ended his season just as he was finding form and then this year was shut down after one game. But he reveals why the timing wasn’t all that bad.
Melbourne
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If it had to happen, the AFL shutdown could not come at a better time for Melbourne forward Tom McDonald.
After becoming a dad for the first time four months ago, McDonald has relished the extra time he has had to spend with his baby daughter, Bella.
Hours at the club training have made way for special bonding time with his little girl and afternoon walks every day, just the two of them, to give mum Ruby a break.
“That’s been really special to have a bit more time with her, to see her grow up and change every day a little bit more than I would have if I was at work every day,” McDonald said.
“She has been a lot of fun, especially the last two weeks, we have noticed a big difference in her.
“I take Bella for a walk at 3pm in the afternoon and we’ll go for a nice hour-long walk and Rubs gets a bit of time to herself … that’s been the good side of all this.”
While training has remained a priority, McDonald admits footy hasn’t occupied too much of his mind the rest of the time during the break.
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Asked about his hopes for the season ahead, the-27-year-old admitted it was not something he had given too much thought about – but that’s set to change with a return date officially confirmed.
“You know what’s funny, I haven’t even thought about that … I honestly haven’t thought about form or other teams,” McDonald said.
“I have been really interested in the virus in general and how society has changed. I’ve had a lot more interest in politics over the last month.
“I have been interested in what our individual training has been like … but I have not thought about other teams at all and who is going to be good and who is going to be bad and that sort of thing. That’s probably been the last thing on my mind.
“There has been enough things to stress about let alone where I should set up at a forward stoppage.”
It has been a similar approach by the Demons with their players during the break.
Less strategy and more a focus on staying connected and problem-solving projects about life lessons.
“We haven’t once talked about football strategy or anything like that,” McDonald said.
“I know a few of the teams have spent a bit of time on that, but our meetings have been all about staying in touch with each other, talking about other things.
“We’ve had projects in small groups on Zoom about reviving businesses and individuals who have come back from things like bankruptcy, trying to learn how people have worked through adversity.
“It has probably been a good thing not to stress too much about the nitty gritty details of footy just yet.”
McDonald spent the first month of the break training with former Demon and his good mate Dom Tyson, now at North Melbourne.
But as the league has edged closer to a return in the past two weeks, he has transitioned to training with his younger brother Oscar with a home gym set up in the garage.
This year’s disrupted season followed a frustrating 2019 for McDonald, which ended in July last year when he tore his meniscus in Round 16 against Carlton.
The injury halted a return to form for the tall forward, having kicked 10 goals in his last three games – including six against the Blues – after a lean start to the year.
“I wasn’t playing the way that I wanted to at the start of last year. It was just frustrating,” McDonald said.
“As a team we weren’t playing very well and I had a couple of good little patches here or there, but couldn’t string anything together consistently until probably my last three games of the year before I got injured.
“It was a nice feeling to go back for two or three games and play really well and then, of course, when it happens, it gets taken away from you.
“So really frustrating season. The fact that I had a couple of games at the end where I felt like myself again was a positive and reminded me that I can still play, I haven’t lost it completely.
“I feel really good. I battled a few little injuries at the start of pre-season last year whereas this year I have had a much better run in, a more consistent build-up.”
McDonald said his isolation training had allowed him to hone in on areas of his game that he wouldn’t normally have the time to sharpen.
“I’ve been able to focus on things that I think are important to my game, like some footwork and agility and speed work that you don’t always get the time to, or your body doesn’t let you in-season playing all the time,” he said.
“So I have been able to be a little bit more focused on physical preparation.
“But I’m looking forward to seeing my mates at the footy club again, that’s the part that I’m most excited about.”
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Originally published as Melbourne’s Tom McDonald relished extra time with family during AFL shutdown