Nearly 12 months on from his shift from defence into attack – where he played after he was drafted in 2004 – the Tiger is feeling comfortable alongside Jack Riewoldt and Tyrone Vickery and has contributed four goals in two matches.
That follows the 15 he kicked from 25 scoring shots in nine games last season after he broke into the senior side in round 15.
The 26-year-old credits former Melbourne development coach Mark Williams for his move into attack after the ex-Carlton and Footscray player took over the forward line in October 2011.
"I think I did need change, definitely, and I did start as a forward, and Mark Williams came along and said, 'Well, let's get you back up forward'," McGuane said.
"Damien [Hardwick] was really good about it and just said, 'Yeah, let's put you up forward'. Initially, it was [for] forward pressure and that type of thing because I like to compete, so he put me up there and I've enjoyed it and now I'm starting to get some rewards on the end of it.
"It has come later in the career but I've enjoyed the change.
"I had eight years down back - I got drafted as a forward so it was good to get back up there."
After playing on the likes of Essendon's Matthew Lloyd and Scott Lucas, Carlton and Brisbane Lions spearhead Brendan Fevola, and most recently, Hawthorn's Lance Franklin, McGuane knows plenty about the tactics defenders like to use to curb goal kickers.
He said the Tigers' new structure, which in the first two weeks has seen Riewoldt act as the decoy in round one before swapping roles with Vickery last weekend, was all about role playing.
"They all have their own attributes and different strengths but I think for me, I just need to play my role and that's what I just concentrate on most," he said.
"We've got Jack and Ty up there also – obviously Jack's the spearhead of the side but at the same stage, if we all play our role, we all end up on the scoreboard like we did on the weekend."
McGuane was nominated for the AFL's mark of the year for his high-flying grab over St Kilda's Jason Blake during Friday night's 17-point win at the MCG, something he said he was more willing to attempt as a forward.
"You can fly with a bit more confidence up forward knowing that if you bring it to ground, our crumbers are going to hopefully get a hold of it," he said.
"When I used to fly down back, it was their crumbers that would get a hold of it and I'd be the one in trouble for dropping it."
However, after shanking a snap shot in the third quarter, he predicted a week of focusing on tricky angles and around the body shots ahead of Sunday's clash with the Western Bulldogs at Etihad Stadium.
"As a kid, that's all I used to do, snap around the corner and I used to love it but I just think I was getting a bit excited in front of goals," he said.
"I was probably pretty worn out as well just through chasing and tackling so I'll work on that all week this week and make sure there's not a recurrence."
Jennifer Phelan is a reporter for AFL Media. Follow her on Twitter @AFL_JenPhelan.
