FORWARD line coach Leigh Brown says he can’t wait to take on his former side Collingwood in this Monday’s Queen’s Birthday blockbuster at the MCG.

Brown, who played 65 of his 246 AFL matches with the Magpies, including the 2010 premiership, said he relished playing against his former clubs. He also played at Fremantle and North Melbourne.

“Now that I’m at my fourth club, I actually enjoy playing against old teams, because you do know them so well. You know their strengths and weaknesses, and you can break them down,” he told melbournefc.com.au.

“That’s the stuff we’ve been able to talk about with Neeldy (Mark Neeld) - structures and things that might help a little bit. They’re things that we can do.

“Clearly they’ve changed a few things, but it’s pretty much the same playing group. They’ve got a few kids coming through, because of injuries … but it’s more about the game and strategies.”

Brown said he and Neeld, who was Mick Malthouse’s right-hand man at Collingwood, would take plenty of information into the clash. But he added that Melbourne needed to get itself right first.

“It’s good because you know little things that other teams don’t know about the opposition. There are also other things that you pick up when you’re there,” he said.

“I think it can really help, but in saying that, we need to get our stuff right. Our main focus is our stuff and then we’ll look to tap into the opposition.

“We had a fantastic win last week, and if we play footy with that intensity and that aggression for four quarters, we put ourselves in the hunt every week. That consistency over four quarters is our next challenge.”

Brown said this year’s NAB Cup win over Collingwood would provide some added confidence for the Demons.

“We played pretty well in the NAB Cup,” he said.

“They’re a good team and we’ve had the opportunity to be there and work from the inside, so we know a little bit about them, although it’s a new coach and they’ve got some new assistants.

“We’re looking forward to getting out there Monday and letting the boys have a real crack at it for four quarters.”

Brown said he mentored youngsters Ben Reid and Jarrod Witts during his time at the club - although they won’t be playing against the Dees - while he made some close ties with some more experienced Pies.

“Two years ago, I spent a bit of time with Ben Reid and was somewhat of a mentor and then last year it was Jarrod Witts, a young guy.

“Ben Reid is injured and Jarrod Witts won’t play this week though.

“Some of my closer mates included Shane O’Bree, Tarkyn Lockyer, Josh Fraser, Nick Maxwell, Scott Pendlebury and Darren Jolly - those sorts of guys, but there are only a few of those guys running around now.”

Brown said not much would change for Neeld leading into this match.

“I don’t think his emotions go up and down too much. We’ve got a clear direction that we want to go in, and we’re sticking to that. The win was really important last week, and it was a great reward for the playing group and the footy club - for all the hard work they’ve been putting in,” he said.

“In terms of the progression, we’ve seen little steps evolve over the last two or three months. That’s slowly transferred into games one step at a time, and then finally that win came.

“I’m sure Neeldy is feeling better after the win. He’s determined and focused to take this club forward, and to be successful and a highly followed club again. I’m sure he’s feeling a little bit relaxed and excited about coming up against Bucks.”

Brown said there wasn’t much he missed about playing since throwing himself into coaching.

“I’m fully entrenched in coaching. I don’t think about playing,” he said.

“The only time I get a little bit of a tingle is when there are aggressive or little scuffles develop and I enjoyed the banter when I played. I still get that banter with the coaching group, but I feel really good.

“It’s gone really quick and I’ve watched a lot of footy - live and on video - but I’m really enjoying it and the challenge. We’re hitting it head-on and I’m enjoying the time. The win was a reward last week, but now we’ve got to become consistent.”