North Melbourne is set to pick Luke Donald with its first draft pick.
LUKE McDonald is officially a North Melbourne player after the Roos today parted with their prized No.8 draft pick.
The father-son sensation was nominated by the Roos on Friday and they were forced to use their first-round selection to match a bid from West Coast, which put forward its No.6 pick.
McDonald is ranked by most clubs as about the sixth best talent in this year’s draft, justifying the high price North must pay to secure the son of outgoing football manager Donald McDonald.
Brisbane was the only other club to secure a player in the father-son bidding process, taking Lions academy player Johnathan Freeman with their fourth round pick (currently 59), matching Adelaide's third-round bid (currently 42).
Gun midfielder McDonald, who is expected to play early in 2014, said he expects to learn the ropes playing at half-back in his first season.
"It's a little bit of a relief - obviously it's been a pretty long couple of weeks with all the speculation from other clubs," McDonald said.
"I'm more excited than anything.
"The dream has always been to be on an AFL list and to do that at the club that I've gone for from a very young age, it's just a dream come true."
Donald McDonald has also moved from North's football department to remove any perception of bias about his son.
McDonald, who is in Europe, played 155 games for the Kangaroos before becoming their head of football.
"Dad just wanted what was best for me and what was best for the footy club," Luke said.
"There was obviously a little bit of media speculation about that, but ... he's moved into the commercial side now and he's doing a fantastic job.
"He'd be stoked ... he'll be prouder when I finally get to pull on the stripes."
Luke has always been a North supporter and is struggling to comprehend that now his boyhood idols are his teammates.
"I remember running around in the backyard in the blue and white trying to kick goals and pretending to be players like Drew Petrie and Daniel Wells," he said.
"Now I'm hopefully going to be playing alongside them, so I can't wipe the smile off my face."
McDonald said he tries to model his game on Hawthorn premiership captain Luke Hodge.
"If I end up half the player he is, I'd be pretty satisfied - that half-back who tries to lead a bit on the field and he's just a good teammate," McDonald said.
The raking left-footer, who spent 2013 captaining Vic Metro in the under-18s and playing at North’s VFL affiliate Werribee, described himself as a utility capable of playing anywhere.
“My main strengths are my run and carry and my foot skills. I’m all right overhead and something I probably got from my dad is my competitiveness," he told the Herald Sun last week.
“I just hate losing and it’s something that will hopefully keep me in really good stead.”
McDonald book-ended his season with sizzling VFL performances and averaged 24 disposals in Werribee’s three finals to underline his standing as a rich teenage talent.
Jack Ziebell was McDonald’s favourite player growing up and he has trained closely with the bash-and-crash midfielder this year, learning to emulate parts of his game.
“The goal has always been to play Round 1 (next year). I’ll probably start as a defender-wingman, so I think I’ll be someone who gives 100 per cent all the time and be a good teammate,” said McDonald, who rated Brady Rawlings as one of his biggest mentors.
“I’ve got a lot of people to bounce off. Rawlings and Jarred Moore have taken me under their wings.
“Brady just got everything out of himself, so that’s the main thing I’ve learnt from him. Just to give 100 per cent all the time, both on and off the field.”
McDonald, who is studying an arts degree at Melbourne University, said his dad was his best mate and wanted to follow him to become a one-club player.
Freeman is a 198cm key-position prospect who has shown huge promise but battled groin injuries for much of 2013.
- with AAP
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