Doug McLean Sr.

Douglas James McLean Sr. (15 April 1880 – December 1947) was a pioneer Australian representative rugby union and rugby league footballer, a dual-code international. He also represented Queensland in rugby league.[2]

Doug McLean Sr.
Birth nameDouglas James McLean[1]
Date of birth(1880-04-15)15 April 1880[1]
Place of birthBrisbane, Queensland[1]
Date of death(1947-12-00)December 1947[1]
Notable relative(s)Jeff, Peter & Paul McLean
ChildrenDoug, Bill (sons)
Rugby league career
Position(s) Wing
International career
Years Team Apps (Points)
1908 Australia 1 (0)
Rugby union career
Position(s) centre[1]
International career
Years Team Apps (Points)
1904–05[1] Australia 3 (3)

Rugby union career

Born in Brisbane, Queensland McLean earned his debut as a centre with the Australian representative team playing against Great Britain, at Brisbane, on 23 July 1904. In total he played three tests, twice against the touring Great Britain side in 1904 and then in New Zealand the following year.

Rugby league career

McLean was a registered rugby union player in Queensland in 1908 at the time of the rugby league code's inaugural competition year in Australia. He was selected in the first ever Queensland Maroons state representative side to play the new "Northern Union" style of rugby, taking on Albert Baskerville's New Zealand All Golds on their inaugural tour.[3][4] It would be his sole rugby league state appearance for Queensland.

When the New Zealand team came back on the return leg of their tour, they played three Test matches against the first Australian representative sides ever selected. The first Test was played in Sydney on 9 May 1908 with the Kiwis prevailing. McLean played in that Test on the wing and has been allocated Kangaroo representative No. 9.[5]

McLean was one of five former Wallabies who debuted for the Kangaroos in that inaugural Test along with Dally Messenger, Micky Dore, Denis Lutge and John Rosewell. McLean and his Queensland former rugby union colleagues Dore and Bob Tubman were all disqualified by the Queensland Rugby Union within days.[6]

Since his two rugby league Test appearances were made as a 1908 rebel[7] before a Brisbane club competition began in 1909,[8] Doug McLean Sr., like George Watson was a Kangaroo with no rugby league club career.

Rugby lineage

Doug Sr. was the patriarch of an extraordinary rugby union dynasty with three of his sons and three of his grandsons also playing for Australia.

His sons Doug McLean Jr., Bill McLean, and Jack McLean were Wallabies, with Doug Jr. also one of Australia's Dual-code rugby internationals. A fourth son Bob had two sons who represented for Australian in rugby union – Jeff McLean and Paul McLean, along with their cousin Peter McLean (Bill's son). See McLean Family (rugby footballers).

Sources
  • The Spirit of Rugby (1995) – A collection of essays- Harper Collins, Australia
  • Andrews, Malcolm (2006) The ABC of Rugby League, Austn Broadcasting Corpn, Sydney
  • Whiticker, Alan & Hudson, Glen (2006) The Encyclopedia of Rugby League Players, Gavin Allen Publishing, Sydney
  • Hodgson (1994) 'Australian Rugby – The Game and the Players', Jack Pollard Publishing Sydney

References
  1. "Scrum.com player profile of Douglas McLean". Scrum.com. Retrieved 12 July 2010.
  2. "Queensland Representative Players". qrl.com.au. Australia: QRL. Archived from the original on 1 December 2011. Retrieved 6 March 2011.
  3. Higginson, Mike. "The Beginnings..." Our Golden History. Queensland Rugby League. Archived from the original on 5 February 2012. Retrieved 8 January 2012.
  4. "All Blacks Tour 1907/1908". rugbyleagueproject.org. Shawn Dollin, Andrew Ferguson and Bill Bates. Retrieved 8 January 2012.
  5. "Player Register". Kangaroos. Australian Rugby League. Archived from the original on 27 September 2011. Retrieved 8 January 2012.
  6. Dore&searchLimits= Townsville Daily extract 13May1908 retrieved 9Jan2012
  7. "Queensland Representative Players". Archived from the original on 1 December 2011. Retrieved 26 October 2012.
  8. Pollard, Jack (1965). Gregory's Guide to Rugby League. Australia: Grenville Publishing. p197.
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