Past Joel Macdonald (2003-2009)

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Re: Joel McDonald

http://www.lions.com.au/Season2007/News/NewsArticle/tabid/5085/Default.aspx?newsId=41544
Den Diaries: Joel MacDonald
3:00:00 PM Thu 19 April, 2007
for Brisbane Lions Football Club

News

Our football club returns to the scene of the crime this weekend where I ‘did’ my knee and had to have a reconstruction in May last year.

The team goes to Carrara for a big game against the Kangaroos, and I’m happy to say I’m at least training alongside the boys for most of the week now.

I’m doing all the main sessions, and more.

If they play on a Sunday like last weekend, they don’t train on the Monday, but we still do. I had a sore foot from doing so much running lately and missed Monday’s session, but was expecting to be lapping up more work today.

The rehab group also tends to do ‘extras’ on a Friday, as the main group usually play on the Saturday and have a light session.

The ‘extras’ usually include riding a bike at high intensity or boxing.

The boxing is great – it’s a good way to get some of the frustration out of your system, especially when you are injured.

The countdown is on for me now and I’m hoping to be able to play again in about three week’s time.

It has been a long 11 months.

That’s why it was really good to see Haddles back in the seniors and playing well last weekend. He has worked really hard, and it gives inspiration and confidence to guys like myself, Anthony Corrie and Pat Garner.

Mentally it is very tough to deal with such a long rehabilitation period, and doubly so for Haddles and now Paddy Garner, who did or have done their knees twice.

That’s why one of the best parts of my rehabilitation was going overseas with Haddles for a month in the middle of last year. We spent most of the time in Greece and had a ball.

The mental break and freshening up was the most important part. I honestly think that if I hadn’t have gone, I would have burnt myself out mentally by now. So it would have been critical for Haddles.

Doing all your rehabilitation alongside the same guys certainly brings you closer together.

You actually feed off each other and many of our rehab exercises like the strength sessions get quite competitive. It’s a really healthy competitiveness and that helps us all.

I’ve got to admit, I have been a terrible watcher of games until the start of this season. I struggled a lot and spent too much time using of energy frustration of not being out there, rather than concentrating on the next goal in my rehabilitation.

But I’m only three or four weeks away from playing now and I’ve got a completely different mindset.

I’ll be at Carrara on Saturday night treating it almost like I’m playing. I’ll be watching for all the places where different guys should be running in different situations and getting mentally prepared for when I do come back.

We might have lost to Sydney last week, but the whole feeling around the club has been awesome all year and nothing changed in that regard.

The guys are really fit and enthusiastic and there’s still a real bubble around the place.

- Joel Macdonald
 

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Re: Joel McDonald

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Lion vow to fight for spot
03 May 2007 Herald-Sun
Andrew Hamilton
THERE'S always incentive to run an extra lap or add another weight plate in the gym when you are recovering from a knee reconstruction -- seeing blokes who used to be behind you in the pecking order getting a senior game.
Which is why Joel Macdonald is bigger, stronger and fitter than ever. Macdonald makes his return for the Suncoast Lions this weekend, 10 days short of 12 months since he suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury playing for the Brisbane Lions against Hawthorn at Carrara in Round 7 last year.
"I feel I'm fitter than I have ever been," he said.
"I haven't really stopped training since August. The boys had their off-season but I trained right through.
"The amount of running I've done is more than I ever have."
The Lions are now a different side. Players such as Cheynee Stiller, Scott Harding and Colm Begley have cemented spots in the seniors and Macdonald knows he has a battle to force his way back.
"It will be tough," he said. "I just want to get through this week, have a really good blowout and get through unscathed. Then I'll worry about trying to work my way back into the side."
He will play four 10-minute quarters for the Suncoast Lions, probably across half-back but his eventual goal is to get a start in the midfield.
"One of my strengths is probably my endurance and I like playing on the ball. But we've got a lot of elite onballers so sometimes I play in defence and sometimes forward."

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Never fitter: Brisbane Lion Joel Macdonald yesterday. Picture: Glenn Barnes
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Re: Joel McDonald

You beauty! The JMAC finally makes his return.

MacDonald returns for Lions
for lions.com.au

Joel Macdonald will play his first senior match for the Lions in over 12 months this weekend against the Western Bulldogs.
Macdonald injured his knee against Hawthorn in round 7 last year and required a full knee reconstruction. He played his first match with the Suncoast Lions last month and has since reclaimed his promising form.
Macdonald was one of three inclusions to the Lions side who also recalled Ashley McGrath and Marcus Allan.
Chris Johnson injured his foot against the Tigers last week and is set to miss up to a month while Scott Harding and Chris Schmidt have been omitted.
The Bulldogs included Queenslander Tom Williams, Robert Murphy, Farren Ray and Jarrod Harbrow in place of Jordan McMahon, Sam Power, Cameron Wightand Matthew Robbins.

The full Lions team is:
B: Colm Begley (46), Daniel Merrett (21), Jared Brennan (17)
HB: Jed Adcock (7), Josh Drummond (39), Robert Copeland (30)
C: Tim Notting (8), Nigel Lappin (44), Cheynee Stiller (32)
HF: Justin Sherman (11), Jonathan Brown (16), Troy Selwood (28)
F: Ashley McGrath (9), Joel Patfull (24), Mitch Clark (1)
Foll: Jamie Charman (19), Simon Black (20), Richard Hadley (14)
Emerg: Chris Schmidt (13), Albert Proud (34), Cameron Wood (31)
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Time for the doubters to eat humble pie JMAC.

Shun the non-believers!

Hadley also named on the ball. How good will this week be?
 
Re: Joel McDonald

It definitely looks like Joel's disposal is a lot better, and even kicked a nice goal there, which I believe was his first ever. Good work Macca:thumbsu:
 

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Comeback kid believes Lions are close

12:48 PM Sun 1 July, 2007

By Simon White
for lions.com.au

DON’T try telling Brisbane Lions utility Joel Macdonald that it takes a player 12-18 months to return to his best following a knee reconstruction.
Three games back after a year out of the game, Macdonald has wasted little time in finding the form he displayed before tearing his anterior cruciate ligament against Hawthorn in round seven, 2006.

As the 22-year-old explained to lions.com.au, he made a conscious decision to ignore the train of thought that says players must ‘feel’ their way back from serious injuries.
“When you are coming back from the knee it’s all about the positives – and I didn’t want anything negative like that running through my head,” Macdonald said.
I had a lot of blokes tell me that you take 12 months or so to get back to where you were. But, to be honest, I don’t reckon it’s true.
“I used it as motivation. I said to myself, ‘Why do you have to wait 12 months to start playing your best footy again’, and I planned around making sure it wasn’t like that.
“I knew I wasn’t going to get a full pre-season in, so I’ve made sure I’ve worked on my fitness as much as possible and put in extra sessions.

“In terms of making sure my reading of the play was there, I made sure I watched as much footy as I could and really studied the guys who player similar positions to me.

“And I also knew my touch work wasn’t going to be as naturally sharp as normal, having not played for 12 months – so I worked really hard on that.”

Macdonald was among the Lions’ best in Saturday night’s heart-breaking seven-point loss to Port Adelaide at the Gabba.

Used mainly on a wing, he had 21 possessions, ran hard for 15 handball receives and was solid around the contest with a team-high six hard-ball gets.
“I’m pretty happy at the moment playing on the wing,” he said.
“I’m enjoying being able to support the other guys that play around the middle of the ground at the stoppages and use my run.
“At the same time, it was pretty good to slot back into defence in my first game back, because I’ve played a fair bit of my footy there.”

Having not joined in the club song since last May, Macdonald is understandably eager to celebrate a victory.

The Lions haven’t won since round six, but the Mt Gravatt product believes the Port game – which included a stirring and nearly successful last-quarter comeback – points to the fact that another victory isn’t too far around the corner.
“I thought we were really improved from how we played against Geelong,” he said.
“We were pretty stagnant in that game and against Port we moved the ball much quicker, started to play the way we want to play and kicked goals as a result.
“It’s about taking some risk, taking off when you have the ball in your hand and calling the forwards into leading out towards you into space.
“Sometimes it’s hard to take those risks. But we haven’t won a game for six weeks and we’ve got absolutely nothing to lose.
“Leigh [Matthews] isn’t going to be shouting at us for making a mistake when we’re having a crack.”
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Re: Joel McDonald

How can a player 12-18 months out return to his best following a knee reconstruction. And improve his disposal and evasive skills so much?
 
Re: Joel McDonald

lionsrock9 said:
How can a player 12-18 months out return to his best following a knee reconstruction. And improve his disposal and evasive skills so much?
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The knee reconstruction straightened his leg for the first time.

BTW, he has been sensational so far. He played a great game against Port. I didn't see any big mistakes from him.
 
Re: Joel McDonald

A top game from JMac. Was hard at it all night, worked really hard and showed a bit of polish with some of his disposals. Isn't the quickest but has the ability to run all day (beep of 15+ I think?).
 
Re: Joel McDonald

Maybe we should break his left leg and both his arms, Then he might be a better player 12-18 months later.....BTW jks;) don't take it seriously.

Seriously what could've happend, Positive thinking or meditation, yoga etc.
 
Re: Joel McDonald

lionsrock9 said:
Seriously what could've happend, Positive thinking or meditation, yoga etc.
Click to expand...

JMac was more of an athlete first and footballer second. It's natural that skills and other footballing qualities continue to develop. Perhaps he'll never be top shelf in disposals, but judging by some of his recent improvements we'd hope that he can reach a standard adequate for AFL.
 
Re: Joel McDonald

I can't believe how well Macdonald is playing:eek: He looks so much stronger, and I think that's giving him a lot of confidence to stay composed under pressure.
 

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