Coburg officially began their pre-season on Wednesday night. From 4 in the afternoon players began to arrive, mostly leadership group members. However there was one new player who sat in the locker room, calmly taking in the surroundings that he once shared.
Former Richmond player Dean MacDonald has signed a deal with the Lions and will officially be Coburg’s first former senior-listed AFL player in its current standalone era.
“A lot of us who came down from Richmond felt very accepted when we played for Coburg and we merged quite well as a unit” He said.
After one year in the TAC Cup with the Gippsland Power, MacDonald was selected by Richmond with the 51st pick in the 2010 AFL Draft.
“When my name was called out, it was kind of a blur.” He said.
MacDonald spent two seasons on Richmond’s list, playing with the Coburg Tigers alongside current players Nick Carnell and Ben Clifton before ultimately getting delisted at the end of the 2012 season.
“I don’t think my maturity was at that level yet.” He reminisced.
MacDonald has spent the past two seasons playing for Morwell in the Gippsland Football League, winning back-to-back premierships and finishing in the team of the year, kicking 100 goals across both seasons as a half forward.
It’s an impressive local resume no doubt, but MacDonald knows there’s untapped potential left in those legs.
MacDonald mentioned that he chose Coburg primarily for the opportunity.
“I still have that desire to reach the highest level. It’s now or never.”
But amongst his craving to play AFL football, he recognises that he has to put the team first.
“I don’t want to confuse my ambitions with the club’s and I’m here to be a team player” he said.
We’re delighted to have Dean on board with us in 2015, and we hope he can make a big contribution on and off the field.
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