Amy McDonald is seen during Geelong's team photo day on July 27, 2026. Picture: AFL Photos

OF ALL the things to bring the men’s and women’s team at a football club together, one wouldn’t expect it to be a player’s lack of Spotify Premium causing some awkward run-ins in the heat room.

A self-professed cheapskate, three-time Geelong best-and-fairest winner Amy McDonald refuses to pay for toll roads and Spotify Premium. 

Despite living in Geelong and being from Ballarat, it’s the latter that gets her into trouble most often. 

With life as a footy player involving plenty of time spent in the club gym, who has control over the speakers is a contentious issue.

Belle Dawes attempts to evade Amy McDonald during a practice match between Brisbane and Geelong on July 25, 2026. Picture: AFL Photos

With McDonald’s free Spotify subscription featuring advertisements every couple of songs, she’s happy to sit out of the AUX cord debate.

“I try at all costs to avoid being the person on music because any time that I am, I’ve been absolutely stitched up because three songs in you’ll get [an ad],” McDonald said.

“I think this was the only time I did it. I was doing a conditioning session [in the heat room] on the bike, I think the girls must have been on the track or something.

1 TICKET, 2 GAMES Get your seats for the Roos v Cats double header

“I was definitely detached from the main group so I was like ‘I can get away with it’.

“So I’m halfway through, got my cheap Spotify with the ads on and Tom Stewart comes in.

“I get a few songs in and next thing, the ad’s pumping and I just couldn’t make eye contact.

“I was just like ‘pedal through this’.

“I’ve never put my phone on in the heat room since.”

10:21

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Sarah Olle goes one-on-one with Geelong midfielder Amy McDonald

Despite a few awkward run ins and copping plenty of slack from her teammates, McDonald is holding firm in her Premium-free stance, with it even bringing the mens and women’s programs closer together.

“[Stewart] and I definitely spoke about it afterwards, but I’ve also had a few laughs with ‘Tobe’ [Toby Conway] in the heat room and he definitely now nominates to put his phone on,” McDonald said.

“He once actually came in and I was in the heat room in silence, it was so grim.

“He just sat on the bike and started pedalling, I was like ‘oh Tobe, you can put the music on’.

“He was like ‘oh I thought you liked doing it in silence’ and I was like ‘no I just didn’t want to listen to the ads’.

“So he really supports me with the music in the heat room now.”

Toby Conway handballs during Geelong's clash against Richmond in round 12, 2024. Picture: AFL Photos

Before she was an AFLW star notorious for her stingy habits, McDonald was a VFLW star in her native Ballarat. Literally.

Such was McDonald’s status as a local legend, she was asked to be a part of a ‘Dancing with the Stars’ fundraiser for the Ballarat Foundation.

“They labelled me a star - it was pretty grim selecting,” McDonald joked self-deprecatingly. 

“Our partners were professional dancers. I did about eight weeks of training with a professional ballroom dancing teacher and I did the quickstep.

“Honestly, the dance teacher was like ‘I think you’re going to win because you nailed it’, and I didn’t.

“I’ve got the video - that’s not coming out - and I’ve watched it every now and again and I’m like ‘you did well’.

“It was a little while ago now but the rumours about being a ballroom dancer have stuck since then.”

Geelong's men's and women's sides play a double-header on Saturday, with the AFLW starting at 1pm local time and the AFL at 3.45pm.

But don't expect to have Amy McDonald's playlists blaring in the change rooms at Marvel Stadium, she'll leave that to a Cat that forks out for Spotify Premium.