Alec MacDonald (born 27 October 2001) is a New Zealand professional rugby league footballer who plays as a lock for the Melbourne Storm in the National Rugby League (NRL).
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Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Born | 27 October 2001 Auckland, New Zealand | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 185 cm (6 ft 1 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 98 kg (15 st 6 lb) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Playing information | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Lock | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Source: [1] As of 6 October 2024 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Background
editMacDonald was born in Auckland, New Zealand and moved to Queensland when he was nine-years old.[2]
He played his junior rugby league for the Easts Springwood Tigers[3] and Ormeau Shearers, and attended Chisholm Catholic College, Cornubia.[citation needed]
In 2021, he played three games for the Wynnum Manly Seagulls in the 2021 Queensland Cup, while winning the club's under-21s player of the year in the 2021 Hastings Deering Colts season. He was a member of the Wynnum Manly team that won the 2021 Hasting Deering Colts Grand Final 17–16 against Townsville Blackhawks.[4] MacDonald then received a train and trial contract with the Melbourne Storm after being scouted by former Storm player Tim Glasby.[2]
Playing career
edit
MacDonald signed with Melbourne on a train and trial contract ahead of the 2022 NRL season, earning a full-time contract to stay with the club for the 2022 Melbourne Storm season.[5] He made his debut in round 1 of the 2022 NRL season for Melbourne Storm against Wests Tigers (player cap 221).[6] While with Melbourne, MacDonald also played for Storm feeder club Brisbane Tigers, making his first appearance for the Tigers on 24 April 2022 during the 2022 Queensland Cup season.[3]
In round 17, MacDonald scored his first NRL try, scoring a late consolation try for Melbourne against Cronulla.[7][8]
While playing with the Brisbane Tigers in the 2023 Queensland Cup, MacDonald won the Paul Green Memorial Day medal for his efforts in the Tigers final round win over Wynnum Manly Seagulls[9][10] MacDonald played 12 games for Melbourne in the 2023 NRL season as the club finished third on the table.[11][12]
In July 2024, MacDonald signed a contract extension with the Melbourne outfit, keeping him at the club until the end of the 2028 season.[13][14] MacDonald played a total of 22 matches for Melbourne in the 2024 NRL season. He played in Melbourne's 2024 NRL Grand Final loss against Penrith from the interchange bench.[15]
References
edit- ^ RLP
- ^ a b Ward, Roy (9 April 2022). "The Brisbane apprentice who caught a former Storm star's eye". smh.com.au. Nine Media. Retrieved 26 April 2022.
- ^ a b "Suzuki Brisbane Tigers". Twitter. Brisbane Tigers. 24 April 2022. Retrieved 26 April 2022.
- ^ "18th Man - 2021 Colts Grand Final". 18thman.com. Retrieved 15 March 2022.
- ^ "Alec post-game chat - Round 1". melbournestorm.com.au. 14 March 2022. Retrieved 15 March 2022.
- ^ "NRL 2022, Round 1 Team Lists". NRL.com. 8 March 2022.
- ^ "MacDonald gets his first try in the NRL". melbournestorm.com.au. 7 July 2022. Retrieved 8 July 2022.
- ^ "Alec MacDonald: Season in Review". melbournestorm.com.au. 21 September 2022. Retrieved 21 September 2022.
- ^ Arnold, Rikki-Lee (20 August 2023). "Sunday wrap: Finals week one schedule locked in as Tigers claim strong win". qrl.com.au. Retrieved 21 August 2023.
- ^ "Feeder report: Round 22". melbournestorm.com.au. 21 August 2023. Retrieved 21 August 2023.
- ^ "NRL 2023: Melbourne Storm season review". www.sportingnews.com.
- ^ "Season in Review: Alec MacDonald". melbournestorm.com.au. 20 October 2023. Retrieved 24 October 2023.
- ^ "Storm lock in duo". melbournestorm.com.au. 3 July 2024. Retrieved 3 July 2024.
- ^ Pryde, Scott (3 July 2024). "Storm confirm long contract for forward, single year extension for back". Zero Tackle. Retrieved 3 July 2024.
- ^ "NRL grand final 2024 quick hits: Biting allegation, Panthers halves swansong and a controversial bunker decision". www.abc.net.au.