Thomas McDonald (born 18 September 1992) is a professional Australian rules footballer playing for the Melbourne Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). tall and weighing , McDonald is a key position player who can play both forward and defence. He spent his final junior year playing in the TAC Cup for the North Ballarat Rebels and played top-level football when he played two matches for North Ballarat in the Victorian Football League (VFL). He was recruited by the Melbourne Football Club with the fifty-third overall selection in the 2010 AFL draft and made his AFL debut during the 2011 season. His second year saw him earn a Rising Star nomination playing in Melbourne's backline, and finished sixth overall. He has since become Melbourne's main key defender and has finished in the top ten of the club's best and fairest in every season he's played, apart from 2011 where he played just two matches. Early life Growing up in Edenhope, Victoria, McDonald attended Edenhope College before moving to Ballarat to board at St Patrick's College for year twelve. He played for the North Ballarat Rebels in the TAC Cup in 2010 as a key forward and played two matches for the North Ballarat Football Club seniors in the Victorian Football League (VFL) in mid-2010. AFL career 2011–2014: Early career McDonald was recruited by the Melbourne Football Club with their fourth selection and fifty-third overall in the 2010 national draft. After playing in the 2011 NAB Cup, he spent the majority of the season playing in the Victorian Football League (VFL) for Melbourne's affiliate team, the Casey Scorpions. He made his AFL debut in the thirty point win against at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in round twenty-three where he recorded eighteen disposals, six marks, six rebound-50s and four tackles, playing as a backman, and he was named in the best players by AFL Media and The Age. He maintained his spot in the team the next week for the final match of the year in the eight point loss against at the Adelaide Oval, to finish with two matches for the year. After a strong pre-season in 2012 where McDonald's endurance was highlighted, he played his first match for the year in the 108-point loss to at Patersons Stadium in round two where he was a late inclusion. He spent the season playing as the full back where he played