Tom McDonald stays with Melbourne, brother Oscar facing uncertain future after AFL Trade Period

Edenhope-Apsley product Tom McDonald was linked with a move with away from Melbourne, having fallen out of favour after an unproductive season.

The 28-year-old kicked just seven goals from nine games in 2020.

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With former North Melbourne gun Ben Brown arriving at the Demons, and the emergence of Sam Weideman and Luke Jackson up top, McDonald faces stiff competition for a spot in the side.

Melbourne's general manager of football Josh Mahoney expected McDonald to be at the club next season and fighting to earn his place back.

"At the moment we see Tom at Melbourne next year. We had good open conversations with him throughout the year about his spot in our team and if there was any opportunities anywhere else, he was going to take the opportunity to look around," he told SEN 1116.

"He finished the season outside of our best 22 and he will be working hard to get back into it."

North Melbourne, Collingwood, and Essendon were all linked to the Wimmera gun at different stages of the trade period.

McDonald is contracted for another two years on a deal estimated to pocket him around $600,000 a season.

McDonald started his AFL career as a key defender, before a breakout 53-goal season in 2018 saw him find a permanent home in the forward line.

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He has also played as a backup ruck for the Demons, and as a wingman, due to his frame and running capacity.

Mahoney said the club was open to where McDonald lined up.

"We're pretty openminded. Whether he works his way in and ends up going forward, or goes down back. We're very open-minded and we'll see how he progresses over preseason," he said.

It's a different story for brother Oscar McDonald, who faces an uncertain future after failing to secure a move away from the Demons.

The 24-year-old is off-contract, and is yet to be offered a new deal by the club.

"We haven't offered Oscar a contract, and he was going to go through this (trade) period. Now that we get some idea of list sizes, and what the numbers look like, we'll have another discussion with Oscar," Mahoney said.

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McDonald's manager Alex McDonald previously said the defender could target the free agency if his situation wasn't sorted during the trade period.

"Oscar's been squeezed out. He did play some forward and some ruck in the scrimmage matches towards the end of last year," he told AFL Trade Radio.

"At his age, I'm hoping he could be delisted free agent if a trade can't get done."

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