on some of the competitions best full-forwards including 's Nick Riewoldt, 's Tom Hawkins and 's Travis Cloke. After playing on Jonathon Patton in the seventy-eight point win against at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in round thirteen he was named the round nominee for the Rising Star where he recorded twenty-six disposals, four marks and three tackles. He missed his first match of the year in round fifteen after he suffered from a bleeding lung as a result of a collision during the sixty-one point loss against the previous week. He returned for the round sixteen match against at Etihad Stadium and played the remainder of the year to finish with twenty matches for the season. His performances during the year earned him a third-place finish in Melbourne's best and fairest count, behind Nathan Jones and Jack Grimes, and the Harold Ball Memorial Trophy as Melbourne's best young player. Furthermore, he finished sixth in the Rising Star award. After the departure of defender, Jared Rivers, McDonald played a more prominent role in Melbourne's backline during the 2013 season. He played his first match of the year in the 148-point loss against at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in round two and played the next four matches before missing four weeks due to a shoulder injury. He returned to the side for the eighty-three point loss against in the annual Queen's Birthday clash in round eleven. He did not miss a match for the remainder of the season to finish with seventeen matches for the year and a tenth-place finish in Melbourne's best and fairest count. The 2014 season saw McDonald play in round one for the first time in his career when he played in the seventeen point loss against at Etihad Stadium. He played his fiftieth AFL match in the thirty-three point loss against Collingwood in the Queen's Birthday match in round twelve. After playing every match up to round fourteen, he was forced to miss the round fifteen match due to a calf injury, but returned the next week for the sixty-three point loss against Fremantle at TIO Stadium. In the final round match against , he kicked his first and second career goals within a minute of each other, both were set up in near identical ways, with McDonald marking inside fifty after teammate, Dean Kent kicked to him. He played twenty-one matches for the season, resulting in