"That's Hawke's Bay rugby in a nutshell so it's so important to us all," he says.
The unfortunate part of the whole sorry saga evolves around perhaps the shape of the trophy as a rugby ball rather than the traditional cup.
"I guess there's been a bit of temptation we might have seen there from last year," says Macdonald, although pointing out the Pirate club was "up front" and did not try to slip it past him.
"Napier Pirate are fully aware of their responsibility," he says with the situation in limbo in the absence of a clear direction on how to rectify the problem.
Pirate club chairman Terry Brown, who made an effort to repair it before NOBM lifted it, agrees it's one of the cornerstones of rugby culture.
"They all want to put their hands on it so what can I say.
"It's definitely fallen down," says Brown, drawing parallels with how even the All Blacks can't resist the temptation come the William Webb Ellis Trophy or the assortment of other bling.
Ditto the country's national domestic players, he says, when it comes to lifting the Log o' Wood (Ranfurly Shield).
Brown says he recently watched how the eyes of 12-year-olds light up at the club prizegiving when they see premier grade player receiving silverware because youngsters aspire to emulate that ritual once they graduate through the ranks.
The club fully accepts responsibility and is keen to find a way to avoid a repeat.
Macdonald says players tend to pass a cup around as well "but only when it's full of something".
"It's kind of hard to fill up a rugby ball so there's nowhere for it to go."
He hastens to add it isn't the first time the Maddison Trophy has been damaged.
"This is definitely the most serious damage I've personally seen in many, many years."
Consequently the former president of NOBM (2001-02) says the HBRFU has been presenting the trophy in a glass-encased lockable cabinet to the winners but it is taken out for presentation on the big day.
A traditionalist at heart, Macdonald doesn't favour presenting the trophy in a case but accepts it's prone to damage in the 24 hours or so it's out in the open for viewing.
"It does need to be hands on because the players who have given their guts to win the thing actually get to feel what it's like rather than looking at it through a little window."
Macdonald is reviewing the situation and will call a committee meeting with the eight clubs.
So what is the solution to a problem that isn't just about fining clubs which are culpable or replacing it with a slicker one?
Maybe split the ball open lengthwise, akin to a pea pod, and put a couple of hinges on it to make it into a flip-top trophy to enable players to literally savour victory from it when they pass it around like a cup.
A grinning Macdonald says far it be for him to encourage anyone to drink alcohol but agrees "that is a thought".
It's unlikely to reach a stage where gloves will be required to handle it, as they do with the Melbourne Cup or the Rugby World Cup.
Replicas maybe to toss around and the real McCoy left at the HQ after presentation?
"Potentially. I'm still looking at alternatives and I've got a few ideas which I will take to the rugby clubs," he says, pending a decision from the HBRFU board.
No doubt to repair it is going to require money and it's not something that you could ask a panel beater or even a jeweller to hammer into shape.
In fact, no one in the country can fix it now and "potentially it has to be taken overseas".
Macdonald did knock on a few doors to see if it could be speedily repaired for the final on discovering the extent of damage but to no avail.
The merchant at Hawke's Bay Engravers in Onekawa raised an eyebrow to say it was beyond his capability.
"We tried a traditional panel beater as well," he says.
Macdonald's last-ditch effort was Glistens Jewellery Ltd proprietor in Napier - he shook his head and pointed offshore.
