 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.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.