Steven Michael Michaels (born 13 January 1987) is an Australian professional

rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 11 ...

footballer who played in the 2000s and 2010s. He's played in the

National Rugby League The National Rugby League (NRL) is an Australasian rugby league club competition which contains clubs from New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, the Australian Capital Territory and New Zealand. The NRL formed in 1998 as a joint partnership ...

(NRL) and the Super League. His usual position was as a but he also played . Michaels previously played for

Hull FC Hull Football Club, commonly referred to as Hull or Hull F.C., is a professional rugby league football club established in 1865 and based in West Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England. The club plays in the Super League competition and were ...

, the

Brisbane Broncos The Brisbane Broncos Rugby League Football Club Ltd., commonly referred to as the Broncos, is an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Brisbane, Queensland. Founded in April 1987, the Broncos play in Australia's elite c ...

, and the

Gold Coast Titans The Gold Coast Titans are a professional rugby league football club, based on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. The club competes in the National Rugby League (NRL), Australia and New Zealand's national rugby league club competition. The ...

Background

Son of Ralph Michaels, a centre for Brisbane Norths in the 1970s, Steve Michaels played for the Australian Schoolboys team in 2004 while attending Palm Beach Currumbin Secondary High School.

Professional playing career

Brisbane Broncos

In 2006, he broke into first grade, but then fractured his ankle and had to spend over three months on the sideline. He returned to play in the

Queensland Cup The Queensland Cup, currently known as the Hostplus Cup for sponsorship reasons, is the highest-level regional rugby league football competition in Queensland, Australia. It is run by the Queensland Rugby League (QRL) and is contested by fou ...

, then played in the State League decider. As 2006 NRL Premiers, the

travelled to

Britain Britain most often refers to: * The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands * Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...

to face 2006 Super League champions, St. Helens in the

2007 World Club Challenge The 2007 Carnegie World Club Challenge was played between Super League XI champions, St. Helens and 2006 National Rugby League premiers, the Brisbane Broncos. It was a replay of the 2001 World Club Challenge, and both clubs' fifth WCC appeara ...

. Michaels played on the wing in the Broncos' 14–18 loss. Michaels played in every minute of every game for the 2007 season, and his good form was rewarded when he was selected to play in the

Prime Minister's XIII Prime Minister's XIII, or sometimes informally referred to as the PM's XIII, is the name of a representative rugby league team, comprising Australian players from National Rugby League clubs that did not qualify for the NRL Finals, or whose tea ...

against

Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea (abbreviated PNG; , ; tpi, Papua Niugini; ho, Papua Niu Gini), officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea ( tpi, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niugini; ho, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niu Gini), is a country i ...

at the end of the season. But Michaels pulled out of the game when he had, what was suspected to be pneumonia. He was hoping to gain a slot in the s for

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

and did so, but in

round 7 Round or rounds may refer to: Mathematics and science * The contour of a closed curve or surface with no sharp corners, such as an ellipse, circle, rounded rectangle, cant, or sphere * Rounding, the shortening of a number to reduce the numbe ...

suffered a season-ending knee injury. He made his return in round one of the 2009 NRL season. He partners with

Antonio Winterstein Antonio Winterstein (born 30 May 1988) is a former professional rugby league footballer who played for the North Queensland Cowboys and Brisbane Broncos in the NRL. A Samoan international captain, he was a member of the Cowboys' 2015 NRL prem ...

on the left flank. In April 2009, he was named in the preliminary 25 man squad to represent

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , establishe ...

in the opening

State of Origin A State of Origin competition is a type of sporting event between players representing their state or territory. State of Origin began in Australian rules football on 8 October 1977 between Western Australia (WA) and Victoria, at Subiaco Ov ...

match for 2009.

Gold Coast Titans

In May 2010, Michaels was released from the

so he could join local rivals, the

on a deal until 2012. In his first year at the Gold Coast, Michaels was part of the Gold Coast side which reached the 2010 preliminary final against the

Sydney Roosters The Sydney Roosters are an Australian professional Rugby League Football Club based in the Eastern Suburbs (Sydney) and parts of inner Sydney. The club competes in the National Rugby League (NRL) competition. The Roosters have won fifteen Ne ...

but were defeated 32–6 at

Suncorp Stadium Lang Park, also known as Brisbane Football Stadium, by the sponsored name Suncorp Stadium, and nicknamed: 'The Cauldron', is a multi-purpose stadium in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, located in the suburb of Milton. The current facility co ...

. The following year, Michaels played 23 games and scored 9 tries as the Gold Coast finished last on the table and claimed the wooden spoon. On 5 September 2014, Michaels signed with Hull F.C. on a one-year deal starting from 2015. Michaels was named in an ongoing investigation into players and ex-players supplying cocaine.

Hull F.C.

In 2015, Michaels joined English side Hull F.C. He played in the 2016 Challenge Cup Final victory over the

Warrington Wolves The Warrington Wolves are a professional rugby league club based in Warrington, England, that competes in the Super League. They play rugby at the Halliwell Jones Stadium, having moved there from Wilderspool in 2004. Founded as Warrington ...

Wembley Stadium Wembley Stadium (branded as Wembley Stadium connected by EE for sponsorship reasons) is a football stadium in Wembley, London. It opened in 2007 on the site of the original Wembley Stadium, which was demolished from 2002 to 2003. The stadium ...

. He played with the club until the end of the 2017 season before retiring.

Statistics

(* denotes season still competing)

References

External links

Hull FC profile
*
Steve Michaels
at the

official website.''
SL profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Michaels, Steve 1987 births Living people Australian rugby league players Australian expatriate sportspeople in England Brisbane Broncos players Burleigh Bears players Gold Coast Titans players Prime Minister's XIII players Rugby league centres Rugby league players from the Gold Coast, Queensland Rugby league wingers