FORMER Edenhope-Apsely footballer Oscar McDonald made his 50th appearance for the Melbourne Demons on Friday night.
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Since being drafted by Melbourne with pick number 53 in the 2014 national draft, McDonald has developed into an important cog in defence as the club sets itself to play finals for the first time in 12 seasons.
After steady improvement under Paul Roos in McDonald’s first two years at Melbourne, the Demons looked destined to play in September in 2017 until a disastrous loss to Collingwood in round 23 left them agonisingly short of a finals berth.
McDonald noted it was a “missed opportunity” for the group, but said it was not something they had dwelled on too much.
“We addressed it (missing finals) on the first day of the pre-season but we haven’t at all since then,” he said. “It’s probably in the back of people’s minds that it was the first chance (as a group) that we had to play finals, but I haven’t tried to focus on it too much.”
Despite enormous scrutiny earlier in the season as the Demons looked to be underachieving after an off-season full of promise, the club responded with six straight wins before succumbing to Collingwood in the Queen’s Birthday clash.
The revival in form is something McDonald puts down to a mental approach rather than a tinkering with the game plan, as the players looked to create “strong habits” on a daily basis.
“We looked at the process of how we were going about things week to week,” he said.
“Our game plan has always been pretty solid, everyone has bought in.”
McDonald is enjoying his best season on an individual note as well, regularly limiting the influence of opposition key forwards. He said his improvement this season had largely been a product of his body maturing and some subtle alterations to his approach on contests.
“The way I played previously was that athletic style, run and jump at the ball,” he said. “But I’ve put a bit more work into building some more size to help with those one on one contests so I can go up against the likes of Tom Hawkins and Tom Lynch.”
A growth in confidence has also allowed McDonald to play more freely and execute his role more effectively.
“Once you get that confidence you can go from strength to strength,” he said.
“I’ve always felt like I was a good kick but it’s something that I probably just needed a bit more confidence with.
“It’s nice once you get that belief in your own game.”
McDonald is out of contract at the end of the season but contract negotiations are well underway with the Demons as he looks to remain a one-club player.
“I don’t know about a lot of people these days being loyal, but I’d love to stay at Melbourne, ” he said.
McDonald’s older brother Tom had loomed as one of the competition’s most sought-after free agents this season before he recently recommitted to the Demons until the end of 2022.