Mal Michael

Mal Michael was born in Papua New Guinea. He moved to Brisbane with his parents at the age of 3 and later played junior football in Brisbane with the Kenmore Bears. His father is the founding president of AFL-PNG.

As a teenager, Michael was recruited by QAFL club Morningside. He was drafted by Collingwood to their rookie list in 1996.

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.

At the end of 2000 he 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.

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.

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.

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.

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