McLean is ready to make amends

[Leper Messiah]

from the HUN

BROCK McLean still wants to be a Melbourne captain. Right now, all his coach wants him to do is start thinking like one.
After bar room trouble in Greece and Germany in October, McLean last month found himself dealing with the fallout of screeching tyres and billowing smoke.
A poorly timed burn-out at the Demons' Trinity Grammar training venue led to McLean and his V8 ute being banned from the carpark.
McLean yesterday described it as a "stupid" act, revealing new Demons coach Dean Bailey had urged him to stop behaving on impulse.
"Dean sat me down and said with everything you do, you've just got to ask yourself, 'If you were captain of the Melbourne Football Club, would you do this'?" McLean said.
"He said you have to ask: How is this going to affect the club? How is this going to affect the group? How is this going to affect you?".
McLean is a natural leader. At 21, he has long been seen as the obvious candidate to replace David Neitz.
The changeover may have happened already, if not for injury and post-season incidents, marring 2007.
The injuries have healed. A twisted knee will keep McLean out of tomorrow's NAB Cup clash with Geelong, but he will return the following week.
Progressing from playful lad to a rock-solid, consistent leader is more of a challenge.
"Growing up, coming from the family I have and coming from the mates I've had, we've always enjoyed ourselves," McLean said. "I've always been one of the boys and always been one to have fun.
"It's important I don't forget that. You've always got to enjoy your footy and your time with your mates, but it's a fine line.
"I've got to realise now that I can't cross it."
McLean understands he is one of the most-watched players in the AFL.
"I know people are going to be watching me like a hawk and waiting for me to stuff up and straight away come down on me like a ton of bricks," McLean said.
"There's certainly pressure mounting, but in the end I think it's going to be a good thing.
"Pressure for me, always gets the best out of myself. I'm confident in myself that I won't make those same mistakes."
McLean now deeply regrets the burnout episode.
"It was a stupid thing to do. I thought it was a good idea at the time," McLean said. "In hindsight, it was something I shouldn't have done. Hindsight's a wonderful thing."
The curator at Trinity in Bulleen, who wanted to be known as "David", delivered a bruising attack on McLean and the Demons last week.
"The bottom line is he (McLean) is not allowed to bring his car on site. It was such a burnout the marks he made are still in the carpark," he said.
"I read a few days later that he had been made part of the leadership group. Gee, that works well, doesn't it."
The curator also complained about players wearing boots when told to use runners.
"He can say whatever he likes about me. It's water off a duck's back. I don't really care what he thinks about me," McLean said of the curator.
"To say what he did about the club is wrong. We were told not to wear boots so we did . . . we wore runners; we wore grass cats.
"To say it in the paper instead of telling the club personally, it seems like the wrong thing to do.
"What's the point of bringing it up? If he wants to ring up and lag me to the papers, let him do it."
McLean is not one to back away from confrontation.
That is why he offered to share a room with Bailey on the Demons' post-season China trip just weeks after making headlines for becoming tangled in bar room controversies.
Bailey arrived midway through the expedition in need of a bed and McLean offered.
"Ricky Petterd was supposed to room with him. Ricky had been rooming with one of the officials for the whole trip and he was pretty keen to get with one of the boys," McLean said. "I happened to be rooming with James Frawley and he (Petterd) was a little bit nervous.
"I said, 'You jump in with Frawls and I'll jump in with Bails'. It was probably one of the best decisions I've ever made, getting to know Bails.
"We spoke a lot about footy, a lot about life, a lot about what I get into off-field and also leadership. That was a really good five or six days for me to get to know the coach, who is someone I plan to work closely with."
McLean said Bailey and the new support staff had created a fresh spark around the club.
"It just feels like it's a new footy club," McLean said.
"I think it was a fresh change that we needed. The place feels like it's been given a spark. Last year was just such a horrid year injury-wise, form-wise and off-field wise with what happened with Neale (Daniher). We're training a lot better."

The first sentence is what does it for me.

 

[Marns]

Stopping going out with Carroll would be a great start

 

[dutchy12]

It wasn't a great photo to go with the article.

I was a good vibes on the weekend and saw carrol there with dutchy. I think there is a bit of a party culture at the club

 

[CaptainDavey]

Just hope nothing out of the ordinary happened when he and Bails shared a room...

 

[the russian40]

It wasn't a great photo to go with the article.

I was a good vibes on the weekend and saw carrol there with dutchy. I think there is a bit of a party culture at the club

Ease up a bit, there were some hugely popular bands playing there, just because they were at a festival doesnt mean there is a 'party culture', I go to plenty of festivals and wouldnt consider myself any part of the 'party culture'

 

[dutchy12]

Ease up a bit, there were some hugely popular bands playing there, just because they were at a festival doesnt mean there is a 'party culture', I go to plenty of festivals and wouldnt consider myself any part of the 'party culture'

Your rigth mate. Sorry I wasn't implying party culture in that way at all. Should have chosen my words better. I just mean it seems like they like to have fun alot and they should be able to do that as well.

 

[Supermercado]

It wasn't a great photo to go with the article.

I was a good vibes on the weekend and saw carrol there with dutchy. I think there is a bit of a party culture at the club

Were they off chops?

 

[dutchy12]

Were they off chops?

Lol just at the races looking pretty wild