Melbourne midfielder Brock McLean says he has learned from his disciplinary problems to the point where he would love to captain the AFL club.

Although he is one of his side's more influential on-field players, McLean was dumped from the Demons' leadership group on the eve of the 2008 season because he performed a burn-out in his car in his car park.

He was also involved in fights in Greece and Germany on an end-of-season trip in 2007.

But at 23, having been reinstated to the leadership group and having made a good personal start to 2009, McLean said he would jump at the chance to succeed James McDonald in leading the club.

"I think I'm heading in the right direction," McLean told Network Ten's digital station.

"If I'm the right person for the job whenever Junior (McDonald) steps down or decides that he doesn't want it, then I'd love to do it."

McLean said the punishment he copped from his indiscretions had helped him realise he needed to behave more responsibly.

"They were probably the wake-up calls that I needed," he said.

"Being who I am and coming from the family (I did) and the knock-about culture that we had growing up, we thought those sort of things were okay.

"But it took me those things to realise that `You're now in the spotlight, you're an AFL footballer, there are things that you need to do off the field as well as on the field'.

"It was a good kick up the bum I needed."

McLean also had a message for another reformed bad boy, Colin Sylvia, who played a superb individual game in Sunday night's loss to Hawthorn, with four goals and 37 disposals.

McLean said Sylvia - who has been suspended by the club previously for breaking curfews - needed to start stringing some good games together.

"The message we said to Colin today was `yep, take some confidence out of that game but move on quick, get on with this week and really look to start to putting together two, three, four good games together'."

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