The Indigenous Team of the Century member has seen the ugly face of racism up close but alongside the scars he carries from the tough years he spent in the VFL and AFL is a conviction that things are changing and genuine hope for the future.

And like his heroes Sir Doug Nicholls and Poly Farmer, the two-time Brisbane Bears Club Champion played a pivotal role.

Herald Sun journalist Jon Ralph told McLean’s story in a 2011 article that carried the headline “It took two brave men to change footy’s racial horizons.’’

Ralph spoke to McLean, Michael  Long and former AFL  executive Tony Peek about the chain of events that led to the league adopting its Racial and Religious Vilification policy, commonly called Rule 35, twenty five years ago.

On Anzac Day 1995, Long was racially vilified by Collingwood’s Damian Monkhorst and when subsequent mediation between the two players failed, the Essendon star knew he needed some help.

Two weeks later the Bombers played Brisbane and Long reached out to McLean, the first player from the Northern Territory to go directly to the AFL and a hero to all Indigenous players from the top end.

"It was one of the hardest things I have done. I spoke to him walking off the ground against the Bears,” Long told Ralph.

“I said, 'Mick, I need your help'. He was a Darwin boy and I looked up to him. It was hard for indigenous players at the time.

"We didn't have the answers but we knew (racist abuse) was wrong. Enough was enough."

McLean had no hesitation taking up the fight.

He made it known he was about to start naming and shaming racist footballers.

“As we entered the nineties the numbers of Indigenous players in the competition started to grow and I think the racism was getting worse,’’ McLean said this week..

“It was a really daunting time and frustrating for all the players involved.

“It came to the pointy end and there were two pivotal moments, of course Nicky Winmar lifting his jumper up and pointing at his skin and also Mickey Long and Damian Monkhorst.

“At the time I did an interview with a couple of media outlets and threatened to start naming the repeat offenders.

“We were copping it from not just spectators but players as well.’’

The ultimatum made it to league headquarters who invited Long and McLean to meet with them.

Magic flew to Melbourne wondering if his cry for help would be heard. He was convinced the issue was not confined to vilification of Indigenous players but was a matter of equality for all.

“I said if you got any person with any ethnic background in here and they would feel the same as the Indigenous players,’’ he said.

The point he and Long stressed was that players would be lost to the game if the league did not act. He hammered the message home by saying he did not want his own children to play football as he feared it was an unsafe environment.

Peek called together more than 20 indigenous leaders as well as multicultural stars such as Jose Romero and Jim Stynes and from that symposium, Rule 35 was dfrafted.

“So the AFL organised a meeting with players from all these different ethnic backgrounds and to a person we were all singing the same tune,’’ McLean said.

“So this allowed the AFL to come up with a code of conduct for equality and for all nationalities, so it was a whole lot healthier to go out on a footy field and being treated with respect, which was nice, it was a nice start.’’

McLean who still loves the game and follows it closely.

He thinks the zero tolerance racial abuse hotlines set-up at Stadiums around the country are a brilliant initiative and applauds Clubs who tear up the memberships of those who racially vilify players.

Incidents of online trolling such as what has occurred with current players like the Lions’ Allen Christensen or the crowd abuse Carlton’s Eddie Betts has suffered still break his heart, but he believes the growing roar of outrage at such behaviour from the community is a sign attitudes are changing.

“What the future holds I’m not sure, but I feel really pleased that the AFL have things in place,’’ he said.

“There is a lot of respect around different cultural backgrounds. The playing conditions are a lot better, the numbers (of Indigenous players) are growing and it is just a lot healthier environment to be a part of.

“Everyone is improving, everyone is being educated and that is the key.’’