in round 5. With the loss of key forward Jesse Hogan due to health issues, McDonald was later moved forward during the second half of Melbourne's upset victory against the Adelaide Crows where he kicked two early goals in the third quarter as Melbourne defeated the Crows by 41 points. McDonald's move forward eventuated in a match winning performance against the West Coast Eagles round 14 where McDonald kicked five goals, including the matchwinner; a miraculous snap in the dying seconds as he was tackled by Jeremy McGovern. McDonald finished with 23 goals for the season after kicking eight in total during his previous six seasons at the club, with his contested marking and aerobic capacity demonstrating that he could play as a key forward despite playing as a defender for his career to date. Following his breakout in the forward line during the previous season, it was believed that McDonald would continue in his newfound role while assisting in the ruck when required. However, a niggling toe injury during the following pre-season kept McDonald sidelined for the opening five rounds of the 2018 AFL season, before he finally returned with two goals and 16 disposals in a 36 point win against Essendon. In a six week streak between rounds 6 and 11 where Melbourne won all of their matches, McDonald made a successful and dynamic return to Melbourne's forward half, highlighted by a 24 touch, four goals best on ground performance against the Western Bulldogs in Round 11. During the 2018 Queen's Birthday match, McDonald kicked a career high six goals as Melbourne lost to Collingwood by 42 points. Mid-way through the season, McDonald signed with the Demons for a further four years. By the end of the season, Melbourne qualified for their first finals campaign in 12 years. McDonald played a key role in Melbourne's 33 point Semi-Final win against Hawthorn, kicking a match high four goals as Melbourne triumphed to the tune of 33 points. Following Melbourne's loss to West Coast in the preliminary final the following week, McDonald had amassed a total of 53 goals for the season, the most since any Melbourne player since Brad Green's 55 goal haul in 2010. Views and personal life In 2021 McDonald commented that he thought it was ‘ethically wrong’ for the AFL to mandate that AFL players be vaccinated against COVID to play. He subsequently was criticised by