27 Facts About Mal Michael

Malcolm Robert Michael was born on 24 June 1977 and is a Papua New Guinean-born former Australian rules footballer.

Mal Michael is notable for his successful professional career in the Australian Football League.

Mal Michael is possibly the only Australian rules footballer who is better known in a country other than Australia, maintaining a high profile in Papua New Guinea, and he is credited by many to have inspired the boom in playing numbers of Australian rules football in Papua New Guinea.

Mal Michael's father, Peter, is a Melbourne-born civil engineer who moved to Papua New Guinea in the 1970s and founded the Bomana Football Club.

Mal Michael played junior football with the Kenmore Bears and attended Kenmore South State School and St Peters Lutheran College.

Mal Michael was later drafted by Collingwood to their rookie list in 1996.

Mal Michael debuted in 1997 as the first player in the AFL to be elevated to the seniors from the rookie list.

Mal Michael finished eighth in the club champion voting and earned a Norwich Rising Star Award nomination.

In 1999, Mal Michael was notable as being the full-back playing on Sydney Swans champion full-forward Tony Lockett, in the match when Lockett kicked his 1300th career goal to become the highest goalkicker in the league's history.

Mal Michael managed 61 games with the Magpies but battled through injuries in his four seasons at the club.

Mal Michael played fullback in each of the Lions' three successive premierships in 2001,2002 and 2003.

Mal Michael played 140 out of a possible 145 games for the Lions during his six years with the club, as well as all pre-season competition games and two International rules series games against Ireland in 2004.

In 2005, Mal Michael was involved in a much publicised incident with Nick Riewoldt when he and Chris Scott both "tested" the St Kilda player's broken collarbone.

In Round 14 of the 2006 season against Melbourne, Mal Michael conceded a notable deliberate rushed behind with a kick between the goal posts of the opposition from over 10 metres out.

Mal Michael played his 200th AFL game in the penultimate round of the 2006 AFL season against Sydney, lining up on Barry Hall, who was playing his 200th AFL game.

Mal Michael announced his retirement on 5 October 2006 at only 29 years of age.

On 24 November 2006, Mal Michael came out of retirement and signed with the Essendon Football Club, reaching an agreement to be selected by them in the pre-season draft for the 2007 season.

Mal Michael played for Essendon in the 2007 and 2008 seasons.

On 15 August 2008, Mal Michael announced he would retire at the season's end.

In 2010, Mal Michael was appointed caretaker coach of the Papua New Guinea National Senior Team, before representing the team as a player in the pre-season campaign against AFL Cairns clubs.

Mal Michael played for Heywood in the Western Border Football League that year.

In 2015, Mal Michael played for Ormond in the VAFA, helping to take the club to the grand final.

Mal Michael was the first Papua New Guinean to play senior AFL football, acting as an ambassador for the game when he visits his homeland.

Mal Michael is possibly the only AFL player who is better known in a country other than Australia.

Mal Michael has appeared on a series of biscuit commercials in PNG as "the secret of Mal's success".

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.

In 2007 Mal Michael made a strategic deal with mining company Hannans Reward aimed at appealing the company to the Papua New Guinea market.