Alan McDonald (Australian footballer)

{{short description|Australian rules footballer, born 1918}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2015}}

{{Use Australian English|date=September 2015}}

{{Infobox AFL biography

| name = Alan McDonald

| image =

| fullname = Alan Joseph McDonald

| birth_date = {{birth date|1918|6|23|df=y}}

| birth_place = Yarram, Victoria

| death_date = {{death date and age|1999|5|2|1918|6|23|df=yes}}

| death_place = Bendigo, Victoria

| originalteam = Dumbalk, Meeniyan, Leongatha

| height = 173 cm

| weight = 66 kg

| position =

| statsend = 1943

| years1 = 1939–1943

| club1 = Richmond

| games_goals1 = 49 (8){{cite web|url=http://afltables.com/afl/stats/players/A/Alan_McDonald.html|title=AFL Tables – Alan McDonald – Stats – Statistics|publisher=AFL Tables|accessdate=3 October 2014}}

| coachyears1 = 1957–1960

| coachclub1 = Richmond

| coachgames_wins1 = 72 (22–48–2)

| careerhighlights =

}}

Alan Joseph McDonald[http://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/DetailsReports/ItemDetail.aspx?Barcode=6677857&isAv=N McDonald, Alan Joseph] (23 June 1918 – 2 May 1999){{cite web|url=http://australianfootball.com/players/player/alan%2Bmcdonald/6460|title=Alan McDonald – Player Bio|publisher=Australian Football|accessdate=27 December 2014}} was an Australian rules football player who played in the VFL between 1939 and 1941 and then again in 1943 for the Richmond Football Club.

Recruited from Dumbalk, in the South Gippsland Football League, where his father was captain-coach in 1939 at the age of 58 and he had three brothers who all played with Dumbalk too.{{cite web |title=1939 - Veteran Footballer's Comeback |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/204939738 |publisher=The Age (Melbourne, Vic. : 1854 - 1954) |access-date=8 February 2025 |page=11 |date=1 August 1939}}

McDonald played a fine game in Richmond's losing 1940 VFL Grand Final loss to Melbourne.{{cite web |title=1940 - FINE TACTICS BY MELBOURNE |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/11314143 |publisher=The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1957) |access-date=8 February 2025 |page=9 |date=30 September 1940}}

After World War II McDonald played two seasons for Camberwell in the VFA.

He then coached South Bendigo from 1947 to 1956,{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article22409826 |title=South Bendigo Coach. |newspaper=The Argus |location=Melbourne |date=19 February 1947 |accessdate=8 November 2014 |page=11}} which included five Bendigo Football League premierships in 1950, 1951, 1954, 1955 and 1956.

McDonald was senior coach of Richmond from 1957 to 1960,.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article71765607 |title=A new man at Richmond. |newspaper=The Argus |location=Melbourne |date=14 November 1956 |accessdate=8 November 2014 |page=16}} where they finished 7th in 1957, 10th in 1958 and 11th in 1959{{cite book|last=Lovett, Michael|title=AFL 2004 – The Official Statistical History Of The AFL| publisher=AFL Publishing|year=2004|isbn=0-9580300-5-7}}

Alan was the younger brother of Melbourne player, Jim McDonald