TOM McDonald and his senior teammates aren’t due back at the club until next Monday, but an early return has done wonders for the key forward, who is now ready to attack the pre-season.

After going down with a meniscus injury in Round 16, McDonald missed the last seven games of 2019, but a strong off-season and an extra two weeks of training has seen him re-join the main group ahead of schedule.

“I don’t think you’re ever eager for pre-season, I’ll tell everyone that, because it’s never easy,” McDonald told Melbourne Media.

“I was just saying then, you forget how hard it is every year when you come back.

“But to come back in [early] means that I’ll be able to join main training with the whole group next week, rather than starting in rehab for a week or two.

“That was the motivation for it.

“I haven’t got anywhere to be in the off-season, didn’t have a big trip away or anything, so I thought I might as well make the most of being in town and train with a few other people.”

The 27-year-old ran out the full session at Gosch’s Paddock on Friday morning which was held for the club’s first-to-four-year players, and is confident with where his body is at ahead of the pre-season.

“I’m finally back into full training, so I’ve spent the last two weeks in here ticking off the rehab requirements,” McDonald said.

“My other knee has been a little bit sore, so I’ve just been managing that as I come back – just the loading of being back into main training – but did the whole session today and should be good to go next week.”

McDonald’s off-season program was slightly different to his fellow teammates as he worked through his rehab, but he was able to build up his fitness with some solid running sessions.

“I pretty much ran through the entire break,” he said.

“I had six weeks of no running after I had my surgery, so started running as soon as the boys played their last game actually, then just built up really slowly from there.

“I’ve been on a slower burn, but it’s been good to get a bit more work in.

“I’m hopefully getting back in at the right time now.”

While McDonald has recovered from the injury sustained against Carlton, he understands all players will face some challenges in the lead up to the season.

“You never know how a pre-season is going to go, you’ll get a niggle somewhere else in the first week,” he said.

“It’s never a smooth ride, going through pre-season, you always have little things you’ll battle, but it’s how you manage it and deal with it through the pre-season and hopefully get a lot of work in.”

Away from the club, McDonald was able to enjoy his time off, as he began his preparations for fatherhood.

“I’ve actually spent a lot of time with my partner, we’ve got a little baby in the way in nine weeks,” he said.

“So we’ve moved into our new house and renovated that and got a nursery set up, so lots of exciting things even though I didn’t see lots of the world this year.

“It was a really enjoyable break and lots of new things for me.”

The entire Melbourne playing group will return to the club on Monday to kick off its official 2020 pre-season campaign.