By Tyler Lewis
“He’s coming across very simply for one reason and that’s to win a premiership.” Noble Park coach Steve Hughes
Steve Hughes has coached some captivating local footballers in his time, but there are two that stand out for the Noble Park premiership coach: Kyle Martin and Shane McDonald.
Martin recently held the Eastern Football Netball League Premier Division cup aloft with him and as for McDonald, well, he’s departed Mornington Peninsula Nepean League (MPNFL) club Bonbeach to do the same in 2023.
“I think that’s the right word: exciting,” Hughes said.
“You’ve got two of the better players at local level over the last decade or 20 years or so, both of those names would be up there.
“To have them both out on the same ground brings a pretty exciting prospect.”
McDonald has governed the MPNFL for almost two decades, collecting eight club – and two league – best and fairest awards, but there is one accolade missing from his highly decorated football resume.
“He’s coming across very simply for one reason and that’s to win a premiership,” Hughes said.
“We’re obviously pretty close, we’re good mates and we talk often, he’s mentioned to me a number of times that off the back of us winning a premiership, that he feels like he’s got an opportunity to cap what is an absolutely stellar career with a flag.
“It’s the one thing he doesn’t have, he’s lost four, so that’s pretty much the reason he’s coming across – hopefully we can help him reach his goal.”
As for what he brings to the Bulls, Hughes is confident McDonald comes with a deep bag of tricks – particularly when it matters most.
“He brings a lot of things… he’s got a few tricks, Macca” he joked.
“As they say: ‘you can’t buy experience’, and Shane has plenty of that, he’s a big-game player, he performs on the big stage – always has.”
While ‘Macca’ is closer to the end of his career than the beginning, Hughes trusts there’s plenty left in the damaging midfielder’s tank.
“There’s not an ounce of fat on him, he looks after his body as well as anyone I have ever coached,” he revealed.
“It’s difficult to say, he’s still pretty quick off the mark… probably when he loses that 10 or 15 metres of burst speed is when he will probably come back to the pack a bit.
“At this stage he’s still got that… I went and watched Bonbeach in the preliminary final and he split the game open for them, I think he kicked four in the first quarter and a bit on a wet day.
“I only watched the grand final from the comfort of the back bar on the Sunday (the day after winning his own flag), but he dragged them back into the grand final against (Frankston) YCW as well.
“He’s got a bit of footy left in him… he’s still a very dangerous footballer.”
McDonald has joined the Bulls on a one-year deal.
