The Blues have begun preparations for next weekend's crucial Super Rugby derby with the Hurricanes in Wellington, after completing a successful tour of South Africa.
They're returning to New Zealand after claiming two impressive victories including Sunday's (NZ time) 33-14 upset win over the Stormers in Cape Town.
That followed a hard-fought 23-21 victory over the Bulls last week in Pretoria.
The Blues now have three wins in their first five games and are level on points with the Hurricanes, one point behind the New Zealand conference-leading Crusaders.
That leaves the stakes even higher for Saturday's clash, with the result set to impact the playoff picture.
"We've been preparing for them [the Hurricanes]," MacDonald told Newshub.
"We know what to expect and it's an exciting opportunity, we just have to get this week right and it's going to get a tough turnaround.
"The last fortnight has been a launching pad for us. We've got some things in place that we can't go away from and lots of it is around our preparation.
"But lots of it is around our commitment to get results. We mustn't leave that door open for the opposition, so we have to continue preparing properly every week."
The Blues' last win against the Hurricanes came in 2014, while their last win in Wellington was a year earlier.
MacDonald praised the impact of first-five Otere Black against the Stormers, saying he played his best match in a Blues jersey.
"Otere had his best game in a Blues jersey," MacDonald explained. "He was a traditional 10, his goal kicking impeccable, you can't ask much more from him.
"There was a good feeling in the changing room afterwards, it was a good week together buoyed by the win last week.
"We went out there and believed in ourselves so to get the win was pleasing."
Join us at 7:05pm Saturday for live updates of the Hurricanes v Blues Super Rugby clash
