Mal Michael
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Personal Info | |
|---|---|
| Birth | June 24, 1977, Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea |
| Recruited from | Morningside |
| Height/Weight | 190cm / 100kg |
| Playing Career¹ | |
| Debut | Round 7, May 9, 1997, Collingwood vs. North Melbourne, at Melbourne Cricket Ground |
| Team(s) | Collingwood (1997-2000)
61 games, 23 goals Brisbane Lions (2001-2006) 140 games, 5 goals Essendon (2007-) 1 games, 0 goals |
| ¹ Statistics to end of 2006 season | |
| Career Highlights | |
|
|
Malcolm Roberto "Mal" Michael (born June 24, 1977 in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea) is an Australian rules footballer.
Contents |
[edit] Pre-AFL
Michael moved to Brisbane at the age of 3 and later played junior football in Brisbane with the Kenmore Bears before being recruited by Queensland Australian Football League club Morningside. While at that club he was invited to train with the Brisbane Bears Australian Football League (AFL) club, with a view to potentially drafting him—an exciting prospect for him as he was a Bears supporter at the time. However, the Bears did not draft him, with Melbourne-based rival club Collingwood drafting him to their rookie list in 1996.
[edit] Collingwood Football Club
Michael debuted in 1997 as the first player in the AFL to be elevated to the seniors from the rookie list. He finished eighth in the club champion voting and earned a Norwich Rising Star Award nomination, but over ensuing seasons he was tried at both fullback and full-forward and struggled for consistency.
In 1999, he had the unfortunate honour of being the full-back playing on Sydney Swans champion full-forward Tony Lockett in the game he became the greatest goalkicker in the game's history.
At the end of 2000 he was traded to the Brisbane Lions (created from a merger between the Bears and Melbourne side Fitzroy) along with a draft pick for Jarrod Molloy.
[edit] Brisbane Lions Football Club
Michael was traded to the Brisbane Lions, debuting for them in 2001. While there, he bulked up and became one of the AFL's strongest players, and was a fearsome fullback. Michael fitted in well with the other Lions hard men, such as Chris Scott and Brad Scott under the guidance of fearsome coach Leigh Matthews.
He played fullback in each of the Lions' three successive premierships in 2001, 2002 and 2003, achieving his first premiership in his first year with the club.
Surprisingly during these years, despite being unanimously regarded as the most consistent fullback in the competition, he was unlucky to miss All-Australian selection. It is widely believed that this is due to the majority of his work being one percenters not generally credited by umpires or the stat sheets as much as actual possessions.
[edit] 2006 season
In the Round 14, 2006 game against Melbourne, Michael conceded a rushed behind in an unorthodox and notable fashion. He is not the first player to deliberately rush a behind with a kick between the goal posts, however his emphatic kick from over 20 metres out was quite remarkable. This attracted wide scrutiny in the media and was oft-replayed.
The next week, a leak in the media speculated that Michael was "burnt out" and disillusioned at the club, and was considering retirement. However, coach Leigh Matthews later spoke out saying he had convinced Michael to stay on until the end of the season.
Michael did stay on until the end of the season, but announced his retirement on October 5 at only 29 years of age. Earlier in the year, he had cited the reason he was considering walking away from the game was to help out the Papua New Guinean community. [1]
Michael announced his retirement shortly after the end of the 2006 season after failing to negotiate a reduced training schedule so he could pursue his personal interests.[2]
However, on 24th November, 2006, Essendon Football Club indicated that Michael had reconsidered his decision to retire, and that they have come to an agreement whereby he will be selected by them in the pre-season draft for the 2007 season.[3] He will wear jersey No.22, the number vacated by Tristan Cartledge, who was delisted by the Bombers at the end of season 2006. Michael is expected to fill the void left by Dean Solomon, who was traded to Fremantle during October 2006.
[edit] Papua New Guinean celebrity
Michael was the first Papua New Guinean to play senior AFL football, acting as an ambassador for the game when he visits his homeland. He is possibly the only AFL player who is more famous in a country other than Australia. He has appeared on a series of biscuit commercials in PNG as "the secret of Mal's success". In 2004, he hosted a popular football segment on a weekly PNG television show. [4]
In early 2006, he established the Mal Michael Foundation, aimed at raising money to help give young Papua New Guineans the opportunity to play Aussie rules.
