McLean, whose father Tom was a Melbourne player in the 1950s, attended Moorabbin Technical School and played his early football at Beaumaris.
[3] McLean was however regularly selected in 1982, with veteran Garry Baker on the sidelines because of a knee injury and another ruckman Michael Byrne crossing to Hawthorn.
[3][4] In the 1983 VFL season he shared ruck duties with Brownlow Medalist Peter Moore and was the only Melbourne player to appear in all 22 rounds.
The clearance wrangle went to the supreme court and McLean was eventually let go by Melbourne, in a trade which secured the club Tony Keenan.
[3] In January 1986, McLean was one of five players sacked by the club, along with Graeme Allan, Allen Eade, Tony Kelly and Jim McAllester.