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