Carlton's Jeremy Laidler can give team-mate Brock McLean plenty of advice on what it's like playing against your old side for the first time.

Laidler had a career-high 21 possessions in defence for the Blues against his former team Geelong last Friday at Etihad Stadium, although it was the Cats who came away with a two-point win.

On Friday night at the MCG, it will be another Blue, Brock McLean's turn to face his demons as he takes on his former team Melbourne, if selected.

McLean, a former runner-up in Melbourne's best and fairest award, crossed to Carlton last year and played only six games in an injury-interrupted season.

His first senior game this season was last week against the Cats, gathering 12 touches before being subbed off.

Laidler, who played only two games in his time at Geelong, is thriving in his new role at Carlton, averaging 16 possessions in seven games this year.

"A few of the boys tried to get stuck into me but I took it on the chin," Laidler, 21, said of the treatment he received from the Cats.

"It was good to play some good footy against them. I'm spewing we didn't come away with the win but we did a lot of things right. We've got a lot to take away from it."

Laidler said he wasn't concerned about how 25-year-old McLean, who didn't get a chance to play against Melbourne last year, would handle himself on Friday night.

"I'm sure he's mature enough to know how to go about things," Laidler said.

"He played some good footy last week, Brock. I'm sure he'll be right."

Melbourne onballer Brent Moloney said sledging from his former teammates was unlikely to ruffle McLean's feathers.

"We've got a lot of respect for Brock McLean," Moloney said.

"He has played a lot of good games for the footy club and he was a leader of the footy club.

"We'll just go out there as if he's another player playing in a Carlton jersey.

"He's pretty mature. I don't think that (sledging) is going to faze him too much.

"We'll be focusing on the footy.

"He's a pretty strong-willed person. That might egg him on to play well and he'll want to play well.

"We're focusing on the whole team and for myself, the whole midfield group, because they've got some great players in there."

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