The 27-year-old has joined Goulburn Valley outfit Mansfield Eagles, along with fellow Saints' product and great mate Frazer Dale.

"It was extremely difficult for me, really, really difficult, but at the end of the day I wanted to do something different," McDonagh revealed.

He hasn't played since Myrtleford's 2019 loss to Lavington in the penultimate game with COVID wiping out the following season.

McDonagh then spent three months last year travelling with partner, country music singer Jade Gibson, along the East Coast.

"I wasn't sure whether I was going to come back into it or not, I guess once I started getting into the rhythm with training, I had a bit of fire in the belly," he offered.

"Frazer ended up going there and they gave me a call and it was a pretty good opportunity. Frazer and I have been doing a lot of training together and it's been working really well, so I guess that was the main factor to continue that training and have someone to travel with from Wangaratta.

"I've still got a lot of respect for (co-coaches) Jake (Sharp) and Dawson (Simpson) and I'll be back there one day, no doubt about it."

The Saints finished the COVID-aborted 2021 season in fourth place, on percentage, but will start one of the favourites after adding gun on-ballers in Lavington premiership coach Simon Curtis and GV best and fairest Sam Martyn, along with Benalla's 193cm Nick Warnock, as they look to snap a 52-year flag drought.

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"Because we had such a young group, we wanted blokes from a high level and Frazer's played AFL, while Tom has aggression and athleticism, so last year we looked like boys against men playing Echuca, Euroa and a few more, now we're going to look like men," Eagles' coach Chad Owens enthused.

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