Max Michalanney (born 26 February 2004) is a professional

Australian rules football Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an Australian rules football playing field, oval field, often a modified ...

player who plays for

Adelaide Football Club The Adelaide Football Club, nicknamed the Crows, is a professional Australian rules football club based in Adelaide, South Australia that was founded in 1990. The Crows have fielded a men's team in the Australian Football League (AFL) since 199 ...

in the

Australian Football League The Australian Football League (AFL) is the pre-eminent professional sports, professional competition of Australian rules football. It was originally named the Victorian Football League (VFL) and was founded in 1896 as a breakaway competition ...

(AFL).

Early life

Michalanney is the son of Jim Michalanney who played 211 games and won 4 premierships with Norwood in the

South Australian National Football League The South Australian National Football League, or SANFL ( or ''S-A-N-F-L''), is an Australian rules football league based in the Australian state of South Australia. It is also the state's sports governing body, governing body for the sport. ...

(SANFL). As a junior he progressed to play three senior games for Norwood in the SANFL. He previously played junior football for Glenunga Rams and school football for

Rostrevor Rostrevor () is a village and townland in County Down, Northern Ireland. It lies at the foot of Slieve Martin on the coast of Carlingford Lough, near Warrenpoint. The Kilbroney River flows through the village and Rostrevor Forest is nearb ...

. Despite living in the Sturt development zone, he was able to join Norwood under the

SANFL The South Australian National Football League, or SANFL ( or ''S-A-N-F-L''), is an Australian rules football league based in the Australian state of South Australia. It is also the state's sports governing body, governing body for the sport. ...

father son rule. While representing South Australia in the National Championships he was rewarded for his consistency by winning All-Australian selection.

AFL career

2023

Michalanney was drafted by

Adelaide Adelaide ( , ; ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and most populous city of South Australia, as well as the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. The name "Adelaide" may refer to ei ...

with pick 17 of the 2022 national draft under the

father–son rule The father–son rule is a rule that allows clubs preferential recruiting access to the sons of players who have made a major past contribution to the club in Australian rules football, most notably in the Australian Football League. The rule ...

, after they matched a bid by

Sydney Swans The Sydney Swans are a professional Australian rules football club based in Sydney, New South Wales. The men's team competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), and the women's team in the AFL Women's (AFLW). The Swans also field a Austral ...

. He impressed in pre-season, including in a practice match against West Coast during which he limited Liam Ryan to 10 touches. The following week, the club confirmed he would debut in the first round of the season. He collected 12 disposals his first game against

Greater Western Sydney Greater Western Sydney (GWS) is a large region of the metropolitan area of Greater Sydney, New South Wales (NSW), Australia that generally embraces the north-west, south-west, central-west, far western and the Blue Mountains sub-regions with ...

in Round 1 of the

2023 AFL season The 2023 AFL season was the 127th season of the Australian Football League (AFL), the highest-level senior Australian rules football competition in Australia. The season featured 18 clubs and ran from 16 March to 30 September, comprising a 23-m ...

. In Round 4 of 2023, Michalanney had a strong defensive showing, collecting 16 disposals, was rewarded with five coach votes, and was praised by former player and coach

Nathan Buckley Nathan Charles Buckley (born 26 July 1972) is a former professional Australian rules football coach, player and commentator. He is listed by journalist Mike Sheahan as one of the top 50 players of all time. Buckley won the inaugural Rising S ...

. In Round 5 of 2023, after a dominant display against Carlton in which he had 10 disposals and 4 marks, Michalanney was nominated for the

2023 AFL Rising Star The AFL Rising Star award is given annually to a standout young player in the Australian Football League (AFL). In 2023, the award was won by player Harry Sheezel. Eligibility Every round, a nomination is given to a standout young player who ...

. Michalanney credited his good start to the season to his father's mantra, which may have influenced his signature on a two-year contract during Adelaide's bye round of 2023, securing him at the club until the end of 2026. Michalanney was the recipient of the Mark Bickley Emerging Talent Award in 2023, awarded to Adelaide's highest achieving player under the age of 21.

2024

2024 The year saw the list of ongoing armed conflicts, continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Myanmar civil war (2021–present), Myanmar civil war, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudane ...

was a year of continued growth for Michalanney, who became a strong player in Adelaide's defence. He spent a small amount of time in Adelaide's midfield when star players were out of form, particularly in round 13 against . The move resulted in a career-best 25 disposals and 11 marks, but ultimately Michalanney returned to his defensive role. He found himself in strife when he escaped suspension after striking forward

Nick Watson Nicholas Watson (born 24 February 2005) is an Australian rules footballer who plays for the Hawthorn Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). Early life Watson grew up in the Melbourne suburb of Croydon South and was educated at ...

. Michalanney's season was rewarded with a nomination in the

22under22 The 22 Under 22 team (stylised as 22under22) is an honorary representative Australian rules football team created by the AFL Players' Association that seeks to recognise the best young talent in the Australian Football League (AFL) and AFL Wome ...

squad, but failed to qualify for the final team. Michalanney finished fourth in the

Malcolm Blight Medal The Malcolm Blight Medal is a post-season award given to the best and fairest player for the Adelaide Football Club. The medal was first awarded in 1991, and later named after former Adelaide Crows coach Malcolm Blight. The voting system as o ...

in just his second season at AFL level.

2025

Prior to the

2025 So far, the year has seen the continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudanese civil war, and the Gaza war. Internal crises in Bangladesh post-resignation v ...

season, Michalanney played an internal trial match in

Port Pirie Port Pirie is a small city on the east coast of the Spencer Gulf in South Australia, north of the state capital, Adelaide. Port Pirie is the largest city and the main retail centre of the Mid North region of South Australia. The city has an ex ...

and dislocated a thumb. Avoiding the need for surgery, his pre-season was cut short but managed to return in time for round one of the season. Michalaney kicked his first career goal in the round 6 win over . Also keeping direct opponent

Toby Greene Toby Greene (born 25 September 1993) is a professional Australian rules footballer and the captain of the Greater Western Sydney Giants in the Australian Football League (AFL). He was recruited by the Greater Western Sydney Giants with the 11 ...

to minimum impact, the defender picked up five coaches votes. In round 16 against , Michalanney moved forward in an attempt to quell the efforts of defender

Nick Vlastuin Nicholas Alexander Leendert Vlastuin (; born 19 April 1994) is a professional Australian rules footballer playing for the Richmond Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). He is a three-time premiership player with the club, winni ...

. He successfully limited Vlastuin to only three intercept possessions, while kicking three goals of his own – the first time he had kicked multiple goals in a game.

Statistics

:''Updated to the end of 2024''. , - ,

2023 Catastrophic natural disasters in 2023 included the Lists of 21st-century earthquakes, 5th-deadliest earthquake of the 21st century 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes, striking Turkey and Syria, leaving up to 62,000 people dead; Cyclone Freddy ...

, , , , 16 , 22 , , 0 , , 0 , , 159 , , 78 , , 237 , , 80 , , 75 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 7.2 , , 3.5 , , 10.7 , , 3.6 , , 3.4 , - ,

, , , , 16 , 23 , , 0 , , 1 , , 212 , , 130 , , 342 , , 122 , , 67 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 9.2 , , 5.7 , , 14.9 , , 5.3 , , 2.9 , - class=sortbottom ! colspan=3 , Career ! 45 !! 0 !! 1 !! 371 !! 208 !! 579 !! 202 !! 142 !! 0.0 !! 0.0 !! 8.2 !! 4.6 !! 12.9 !! 4.5 !! 3.2

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Michalanney, Max 2004 births Living people Norwood Football Club players Australian rules footballers from South Australia Adelaide Football Club players People educated at Rostrevor College 21st-century Australian sportsmen