Player Watch #11: Luke "Two Dogs" McDonald (Part II) - Roo til end '26 - 2023/24 co captain w/ Jy

[Full Chooks]

It hurts to watch, but I don't see any indication that it particularly hurts him when he singlehandedly tanks momentum again and again and again. He just pops right back up with that smirk on his face.

He had a decent month and a half stretch of games, but this was him at his worst. I seriously can't handle it.

This is just spot on.

He stuffs something up and just smiles. Archer was in the spotlight a few weeks ago for mentally punishing himself for making a mistake. At the time, I believe it was Nathan Buckley, said that the leaders should have got to him and told him to not be so hard on himself.

It wouldn't have even crossed LMac's mind. Because he's not hard on himself after making a mistake. Just smile, think "how good is being the captain of a footy club" and move on without accountability.

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[Psychic Roo]

Need to change the Captain selection policy and not have it just down to the players and who they want. At a minimum it should be a weighted process where the coaches have 50% say and the players the other 50%.

Captaincy should not be a popularity and good bloke competition which is what ours look like atm. We need a hard arsed competent AFL footballer who sets and enforces the standards expected from a winning culture to take us forward.

I still can’t fathom that a 200 game player like LMac would not improve on his kicking each preseason to eradicate these basic errors.

Yep. Its mental. He thinks he is a “great kick” - del santo said something in commentary a few years ago - it told me it was an internal issue and the players know - there is no way coaches tell him to blast it to the oppo advantage or take the tackle every time for a stoppage. Every time. A quick HB?
He does the same stuff that we all see every week - the coaches and players see it.
I think he has tried to change a tiny bit by chipping it around a bit more but he still runs sideways and screams for the ball every week and runs past for shots at goal - no way do coaches want him doing that.
He feels comfortable - a bnf years ago (in a terrible side) and captain, auto selected every week - maybe no one tells him but id be surprised. I think he just doesn't listen.

 

[Psychic Roo]

Next 2 weeks are tough. Junk time games. We have nothing to lose.
I really think that we should “rest” him. General soreness. If we cant get him playing 2s.
Sends a bit of a message to him and the group - its better for the team to blood a couple of kids for a few weeks. W dawson, hardeman -
Maybe some long delayed accountability would prick him to change. Now that we have options in the 2s, Something has to give.
If it happened, i dont think players would be shocked that it was over the top but maybe that there was some accountability. Thats not bad.

 

[Blightys Barrel]

Shit kicks are always going to be shit kicks. A shit kick doesn’t transform into a great kick because he is at an afl club. You either can or you cant. And Luke cannot.

DuckYeah I think there are some examples like Darcy Moore, Alex Rance and even Sam Frrost who improved from a shithouse kick, to at least a reliable level that could be trusted by coaches and team mates alike.

So over 10 years not to have incremental improvements in that time especially for a Captain is not good enough. I wonder if coaches have explored other options like getting him proficient as a hand baller who can hit 20M targets with both sides of the body?

As some others have said, he had an alright patch in the last few weeks where he stuck to his limitations of just 20-25M kicks to retain possession. It’s like his ego then switches in thinking he is Stewie Dew or Luke Hodge and can kick 60M darts.

If this Club wants to take the next step, then we shouldn’t be gifting games to limited footballers who have no desire to improve themselves each year.

#dow#downthelinelukek#takethetacklelukei#smilewhilebutcheringluke

 

[justroyal]

Shit kicks are always going to be shit kicks. A shit kick doesn’t transform into a great kick because he is at an afl club. You either can or you cant. And Luke cannot.

100%
But I’ll have to say an anomaly for me was Jackson. I think we can all agree he was as shitty of a shit kick there was but came good after doing work?
So I’m obviously questioning how much work our other shit kicks wanted to put in

 

[DuckYeah]

100%
But I’ll have to say an anomaly for me was Jackson. I think we can all agree he was as shitty of a shit kick there was but came good after doing work?
So I’m obviously questioning how much work our other shit kicks wanted to put in

His kicking isnt awesome, he isn’t trying to pull off the hard ones

 

[Better Loosen Up]

Need to change the Captain selection policy and not have it just down to the players and who they want. At a minimum it should be a weighted process where the coaches have 50% say and the players the other 50%.

Captaincy should not be a popularity and good bloke competition which is what ours look like atm. We need a hard arsed competent AFL footballer who sets and enforces the standards expected from a winning culture to take us forward.

I still can’t fathom that a 200 game player like LMac would not improve on his kicking each preseason to eradicate these basic errors.

Players choose the leadership group. Coaches choose the captain.

 

[King Corey]

Players choose the leadership group. Coaches choose the captain.

Time to change that.

 

[LETSGOKANGAS]

Perhaps the coaching staff didn't want to rock the boat further this year given all the changes and turmoil by changing captains.

Now that we are somewhat settled and over that nightmare it’ll happen for 2025.

 

[justroyal]

Players choose the leadership group. Coaches choose the captain.

Didn’t the players vote?
Yep. We’ve clearly been running a popularity contest with both the leadership and captains.

 

[My Left Foote]

Time to change that.

Mods choose the leadership group. Big Footy chooses the Captain.

 

[Better Loosen Up]

Mods choose the leadership group. Big Footy chooses the Captain.

Bailey Scott (C)

 

[Mr north man]

Your correct

DuckYeah I think there are some examples like Darcy Moore, Alex Rance and even Sam Frrost who improved from a shithouse kick, to at least a reliable level that could be trusted by coaches and team mates alike.

So over 10 years not to have incremental improvements in that time especially for a Captain is not good enough. I wonder if coaches have explored other options like getting him proficient as a hand baller who can hit 20M targets with both sides of the body?

As some others have said, he had an alright patch in the last few weeks where he stuck to his limitations of just 20-25M kicks to retain possession. It’s like his ego then switches in thinking he is Stewie Dew or Luke Hodge and can kick 60M darts.

If this Club wants to take the next step, then we shouldn’t be gifting games to limited footballers who have no desire to improve themselves each year.

#dow#downthelinelukek#takethetacklelukei#smilewhilebutcheringluke[/HASH

Bailey Scott (C)

Sheezel by the length of the Flemington straight

 

[Better Loosen Up]

Your correct



Sheezel by the length of the Flemington straight

I hope you didn't think I was being serious? I was just trying to put the wind up someone on here

 

[zoomba23]

So as far as the skippers of teams that were predicted to be around our level go:

Sicily: swingman general, no longer a prick on field, might be about to lead his team to the most miraculous season played by any team for a while

Duggan: definition of a beige player, but is senior and reliable enough

Allen: see the second half of last weekend

Nankervis: never gives in, no braindead errors aside from the odd mauling of an opponent

Then there's this bloke. From an external perspective it seems our players think that the captaincy should be awarded almost solely based on off field behaviour.

A 'worst captain in the league' poll amongst footy department staff of all clubs and members of all clubs would have LMac winning it by a landslide. And unfortunately Jy wouldn't be too far behind. Surely, surely, the time has come to take it out of the players' hands in terms of voting.

Sheezel and Larkey next year with the caveat that Larkey has to come over and make dinner for the Sheezel family for every time he refuses to lead at the ball carrier

 

[shinboner magic]

This guy couldn’t even provide us with a father -son , please delist asap

 

[My Left Foote]

This guy couldn’t even provide us with a father -son , please delist asap

I'm not sure we could endure another McDonald on the list, each generation is worse than the previous one.

 

[Mr north man]

I hope you didn't think I was being serious? I was just trying to put the wind up someone on here

No I didn’t you were serious but for you and me and every other supporter of the NMFC Harry Sheezel is our next captain and the thing with him being captain he dare he wouldn’t be shy and telling some home truths to the players about how there playing.
His motto is this the standard going forward if you can’t do that play VFL or go somewhere else.
Sick of someone smiling thinking it’s a joke when we lose.

 

[DuckYeah]

I heard from a reliable source that Luke is hanging the boots up at the end of the year.

 

[Cyber_punk]

I heard from a reliable source that Luke is hanging the boots up at the end of the year.

If only. But why would he throw away 2 extra years of pay

 

[Clarke is King]

I heard from a reliable source that Luke is hanging the boots up at the end of the year.

Don't troll your own people Duck

 

[DuckYeah]

Don't troll your own people Duck

Not true? Wait till I see that campaigner who told me

 

[justroyal]

Not true? Wait till I see that campaigner who told me

 

[gokangas]

I heard from a reliable source that Luke is hanging the boots up at the end of the year.

Big tip if true.

 

[Mr north man]

If only. But why would he throw away 2 extra years of pay

Need the $$$$ for his super box payments