Melbourne guardant Tom McDonald has admitted helium thought the squad would beryllium "pretty poor" this play aft helium was shown the doorway during the off-season past year.
After being cardinal to Melbourne's preliminary last quality successful 2018 with 53 goals, McDonald had fallen retired of favour and was encouraged to look around, but remained astatine Melbourne aft determination were nary suitors.
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The 29-year-old's playing clip looked acceptable to beryllium diminished further when the squad added Kangaroos spearhead Ben Brown during past year's commercialized period.
However, McDonald rebounded from a tumultuous off-season successful tremendous fashion, playing 22 games and kicking 31 goals, his champion instrumentality since 2018, portion Brown has flooded an injury-interrupted commencement to footwear 22 goals successful 12 games.
On the verge of their archetypal vocation expansive finals, McDonald said some helium and his teammate are winning careless of Saturday's result.
"Looking elsewhere nary 1 wanted me," helium told 9News Melbourne. "To beryllium successful that presumption was disappointing and you think, 'Geez, could this beryllium it aft this year?'."
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"North Melbourne fundamentally pushed [Brown] retired the doorway arsenic well. We thought Melbourne were going to beryllium beauteous poor, we didn't deliberation Melbourne were going to beryllium astatine this level.
"To some beryllium present playing successful a expansive last side, careless of whether we triumph oregon lose, I deliberation we're some winning connected a idiosyncratic level there."
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