McDonald, 27, said he was looking forward to playing with the reigning premiers.

"In the off-season I had several clubs approach me, but I was impressed with the professional way Kalkee went about it," he said.

"Kalkee has a different culture, and coming from a small country club in Kaniva, it is very similiar which was very attractive to me."

McDonald previously spent nine years playing with Horsham United and captained the side last season.

"It was a very hard decision to leave. It took me three weeks to make," he said.

"I talked a lot with my wife and we decided it would be good to make a change."

McDonald suffered a serious knee injury last season, but said he was now back to full fitness.

"Last year I saw a specialist in Melbourne and I had physio before Christmas so I'm back running now for pre-season," he said.

McDonald is yet to play in a senior premiership, but said he was not getting ahead of himself after joining the Kees.

"Kalkee has lost a lot of players. Everyone is talking about all their recruits but they don't realise they have lost a lot at the same time," he said.

"It's going to be a different structure from last season.

"Winning one would be fantastic, but there is a long way to go yet. Obviously the season hasn't started so its hard to gauge where everyone is at."