North Melbourne defender Luke McDonald has praised the impact coach Rhyce Shaw has had on his game. 

“I know people say this stuff a lot, but since Shawry’s arrived he’s worked on connections, and it’s a good feeling at the club,” McDonald told SEN.

“He puts so much time into his relationship with players. 

“During the COVID shutdown, he was checking in at least every day or two with each player. You always know where you’re at, and what you need to do. 

“He’s been awesome for my game.”

That impact was evident in the win over the GWS Giants, with McDonald keeping star forward Toby Greene goalless, and restricting him to just 13 touches. 

“Toby is an absolute star,” he explained. 

“He (Greene) kicked a few on me last year so I was keen to do well on him, and I obviously had a lot of support from my teammates.

“The main thing was just keeping on my feet and not going to ground. 

“He’s a gun, so it was good to be able to nullify his impact.” 

Sunday’s win attracted plenty of media attention, with McDonald quizzed as to whether the current side is the most skilled he’s played with in his time at the Roos. 

“I’ve been pretty lucky, having played in some Prelim Finals with guys like ‘Boomer’ (Brent) Harvey, Nick Dal Santo, Daniel Wells, Drew Petrie, some seriously skillful players,” McDonald added.

“We certainly have a lot of skill at the moment, but what’s matching it is that toughness and grunt. 

“We’ve got a lot of youth coming through, and there’s a lot of energy at the moment. 

“It’s a great place to be, and we’re all in.”