He made his senior debut for the club in 1985 while still a teenager and was a member of the side that lost heavily in the Grand Final to North Ballarat.
[1] Ignored by St Kilda, who had the Ballarat region in their recruiting zone, Collingwood were quick to pounce, and signed McGuane to their Under 19s squad for the 1986.
In 1990 he was one of five Magpies - others being captain Tony Shaw, Scott Russell, Graham Wright and Darren Millane - to accumulate over 500 disposals over the season.
His career was at its peak and he was regarded among the elite in AFL Football, and part of his hard work was due to Darren Millane's trainer, who was asked by Mick to help his fitness.
McGuane's final years as a player were blighted by injury and exacerbated by ongoing alcohol and gambling problems; in 1991 he had lost his driving licence for 19 months after he was caught drink-driving.
His off-field incidents were also frequent, and included another alcohol problem, as well as a fight with Carlton teammate Matthew Hogg at training.
In his inaugural season, he led the club's Essendon District Football League A Grade side to a grand final victory,[8] followed by premierships in 2016[9] and 2019.