The Ballarat native is in the final stages of preseason training with the Geelong Cats.

In just over two weeks the club will board a plane to Perth to open the season against the Fremantle Dockers at Fremantle Oval.

As for whether or she'll play is still unknown for the 21-year-old, who is entering her first AFLW campaign.

After signing with the club in the off-season, McDonald said she would do everything possible to make herself available for selection.

"We're in a really good position where we are injury free," she said.

"We've got 28 available for selection and there is great depth on the list at the moment.

"Being a new draftee and coming into a new side, it's hard to tell what is seen for me."

Despite the uncertainly, just being in the mix is a big thrill for McDonald, who entered the squad on the back of a stellar year with Geelong in the VFLW.

After finishing third in the club's best and fairest voting, she said the elevation to the top side came as a big surprise.

"After our last game of VFLW, the coaches and list manager pulled me aside and let me know I was in the team," she said.

"It was pretty amazing and a real a shock to the system. I didn't expect it after we'd just been knocked out of finals."

McDonald will join a seasoned Cats outfit, knocking on the door of premiership success after falling one game short of the decider in 2019.

She said getting a game under her belt and making her debut would be her number one goal.

"Playing an AFLW game would be amazing, but for now I just want to improve week in and week out, and improve my role on the team," she said.

McDonald will have her work cut as she tries to establish herself in the nation's premier competition. She said adapting to the pace and flow of the game would be her biggest challenge.

"It's just about adjusting and taking it up that little extra notch from the VFLW," she said.

"It's not a huge difference, but everything is done that little bit sharper, and there are higher expectations that everyone is going to be a bit cleaner with the fundamentals."

This season will mark fourth year for the league, which was formed in 2017. With the league growing in popularity every year since its inception, McDonald the hype surrounding the competition was overwhelming.

"The club held a family day recently and young girls were lining up for hours to meet us," she said.

"It's been incredible."