Michael McLean inducted into Brisbane Lions Hall of Fame

Jackson Clark Published September 4, 2023 at 8.00am (AWST)

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Champion Northern Territory footballer Michael McLean has been inducted into the Brisbane Lions Hall of Fame. (Image: Getty Images)

Champion Northern Territory footballer Michael McLean has been inducted into the Brisbane Lions Hall of Fame.

The man nicknamed 'Magic' due to his exhilarating football skills received the honour at a ceremony in Brisbane last week.

McLean played 88 games for Brisbane – 87 of those for the Bears and a solitary game for the Lions in 1997 – winning the club's best-and-fairest in 1991 and 1993.

He finished his AFL career with 183 games having already played 95 with Footscray before joining the Bears in 1991.

The Brisbane Lions described McLean as a 'champion' of the club.

"He was a key pillar on which the post-merger success at the Brisbane Lions was built," the Lions stated in a statement.

"A dual club champion on the field and a champion 24/7 off the field. A courageous voice in the early AFL fight against racism in football and a leader of all men.

"Forever the Godfather of Indigenous players, he taught right and wrong, and had a profound influence on the club as a player and coach."

Michael McLean played 88 games for Brisbane between 1991 - 1997.

McLean was born and raised in the Larrakia country of Darwin and was an outstanding junior footballer for Northern Territory Football League club Nightcliff.

He was recruited to Footscray in 1983 and became a pioneer for his people as one of the first Indigenous players recruited from the Northern Territory to have an impact at the elite level.

Described as a creative midfielder and dashing defender, McLean's best season was in 1991 when he finished equal-fifth in the Brownlow Medal after averaging 27 disposals across 22 games.

McLean had a rare blend of courage and toughness combined with excellent skill and reading of the play.

Robert Walls, who spent almost two decades coaching at AFL-level, said that McLean was "just the most outstanding person and football person that (he's) coached".

Upon retirement from the AFL, McLean returned to Darwin and became a highly-accomplished coach and mentor to young Indigenous teenagers.

After beginning with Nightcliff and almost snapping a long premiership drought, he won an NTFL flag with Southern Districts and became the inaugural coach of the NT Thunder.

A man considered a strong role model across the Northern Territory, McLean is a member of the AFL Indigenous and AFLNT Team of the Century teams.