It is only a few short seasons since the young man they call Magic played his 100th game for the Tigers but so much has happened since 2020 when the Tigers celebrated with Zac McLean for that great milestone. He runs out this Saturday in the Hart Sport QFA Division 1 Qualifying Final at Springwood for his 150th game, another significant milestone in an outstanding career at the Tigers.
The former Everton Wolves junior has achieved so much as a Mayne Tiger since his first game as a raw seventeen year old in 2013, from triple premierships to Club Champion, most of it documented for his 100th game. It is hard to imagine there could be more to add to his amazing story but another fifty games has seen a whole new and exciting chapter to his wonderful story.
The Covid years were hard for everyone and football in Queensland presented plenty of challenges with shortened seasons, stop start fixtures, cancelled games and more but through it all Zac has been remarkably resilient and taken his life to a new level.
After his good friend Jack Collings was struck down with a debilitating injury on the eve of the 2022 Season, Zac stepped up to the role of Club Captain after serving as Jack’s right hand man for many years. It was destiny for him to be elevated to this role after serving an extraordinary apprenticeship with so many well credentialled teammates over his long career to date.
Despite his enormous skill and consistent performance, Zac is a wonderfully humble person who has dedicated his career to the Tigers and there could not be a more worthy person to take on the Club Captain’s role. He is very mindful of those that have come before him with Jack Collings serving for five years, Caleb Brown the previous five and then the great Andrew Housego eleven years prior to that. It is a role cherished by these few champions that have performed it over the last twenty years. It is also no accident that each of those Tiger greats handed the batten to their successor and continued to serve with distinction under them for extended periods so that there has been an appropriate changing of the guard and the culture is consistently maintained.
As reflected in his earlier story for his 100th game, he has been very grateful to the people who have taken their time to mentor him along the way and he now sees himself doing the same for the significant number of young men who are now playing under him in the senior squad. While he might once have been one of the young larrikins of the group, happy to admit he might have been a bit loose in this younger days, he is now definitely a consummate leader who draws heavily on his experiences and the many role models he has been fortunate to have around him.
While we reflect on his new leadership role, we can’t ignore the fact that he is playing his best football and is capable of turning a game on his own boot whether playing up front or through the midfield. Zac is setting the benchmark for his peers and his team at every turn whether on the training track or on the field of battle. His five goal performance last weekend to send the Tigers into the 2023 finals series was an inspiration with the Tiger Army in raptures.
The last three years have not just seen Zac’s life take an upward tick in football, he has also formed a wonderful partnership with Maddy and welcomed the birth of their first child Maisie three months ago. Family has been a very important part of Zac’s life and to now have commenced his own, he could not be more excited for the future. He is very pleased that Maddy is happy to continue to support his football life and for her and Maisie to be part of the family groups that follow the ups and downs of the Tigers each week on the sidelines. He has witnessed so many of his teammates over the years have their young growing families on the sidelines and he is now enjoying being in that stage of life himself.
At just 27 years of age and in the peak of his powers the Tigers are looking forward to seeing Zac “Magic” McLean leading the Tigers for many more years to come. The Mayne Football Club and all of their supporters wish him all the very best for his 150th game this Saturday and encourage everyone to come along and cheer him on.
