Michael George Hibberd (born 3 January 1990) is a professional Australian rules footballer playing for the Melbourne Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). A defender, tall and weighing , Hibberd plays primarily on the

half-back flank In the sport of Australian rules football, the half-back line refers to the positions of the 3 players on the field that occupy the centre half-back and left and right half-back flank positions. Centre half-back The role of the centre half-back ...

. After spending the 2008 season with the

Dandenong Stingrays The Dandenong Southern Stingrays are an Australian rules football team in the NAB League, the Victorian statewide under-18s competition. 1992 saw the birth of the Southern Stingrays, developed under the leadership of Steve Kennedy (Regional ...

in the

TAC Cup The NAB League Boys (also referred to as simply the NAB League and formerly known as the TAC Cup) is an under-19 Australian rules football representative competition held in Australia. It is based on geographic regions throughout country Vic ...

, he missed out on selection in the 2008 AFL draft, which saw him spend two seasons in the

Victorian Football League The Victorian Football League (VFL) is an Australian rules football league in Australia serving as one of the second-tier regional semi-professional competitions which sit underneath the fully professional Australian Football League (AFL). I ...

(VFL) with the

Frankston Football Club Frankston Football Club, nicknamed the ''Dolphins'', is an Australian rules football club based in Frankston, Victoria, Frankston, Victoria (Australia), Victoria. The club, formed in 1887, has played in the Victorian Football League, Victoria ...

. After winning Frankston's

best and fairest In Australian sport, the best and fairest award recognises the player(s) adjudged to have had the best performance in a game or over a season for a given sporting club or competition. The awards are sometimes dependent on not receiving a suspensi ...

and the Fothergill-Round Medal as the VFL's most promising young player in 2010, he was recruited by the

Essendon Football Club The Essendon Football Club, nicknamed the Bombers, is a professional Australian rules football club. The club plays in the Australian Football League (AFL), the game's premier competition. The club was formed by the McCracken family in their ...

with the fourth selection in the 2011 pre-season draft. Hibberd made his AFL debut during the 2011 season and in the same year, he was forced to miss the second half of the year after a club-imposed suspension due to an assault charge. His next four years at the club saw him rewarded with the club rising star award and three top-ten finishes in the best and fairest count. After being suspended for the entire 2016 season due to his involvement in the Essendon supplements saga, he was traded to the Melbourne Football Club during the 2016 trade period. His first season with Melbourne saw him receive

All-Australian The All-Australian team is an all-star team of Australian rules footballers, selected by a panel at the end of each season. It represents a complete team, including an interchange bench, of the best-performed players during the season, led by ...

honours and represent Australia in the

International Rules Series The International Rules Series is a senior men's international rules football competition between the Australia international rules football team (selected by the Australian Football League) and the Ireland international rules football team ...

Early life

Originally from the small town of Somerville on the

Mornington Peninsula The Mornington Peninsula is a peninsula located south of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is surrounded by Port Phillip to the west, Western Port to the east and Bass Strait to the south, and is connected to the mainland in the north. Ge ...

, Hibberd played with the

in the TAC Cup in 2008, where he managed to play only half the season due to a groin injury. He finished fifth in the

count and was awarded the Dandenong Stingrays coaches award. After being overlooked in the 2008 AFL draft, he joined the

in the

(VFL). His first year at Frankston saw him finish fifth in the best and fairest and claim the best first year player award. In his second year at the club, his season was rewarded with the senior best and fairest award and the Fothergill-Round Medal as the VFL's most promising young player.

AFL career

2011–2012: Early career

Hibberd was drafted by the

with their only selection and fourth overall in the 2011 pre-season draft. He made his AFL debut in the 139-point win against at Etihad Stadium in round six. He was omitted the next week for the match against , before returning in round eight in the thirty-six point win against at the

Gabba Gabba may refer to: Music * Gabber, a subgenre of hardcore techno also known as "gabba" * Gabba (band), a tribute band covering the pop songs of ABBA in the punk style of The Ramones People with the surname * Bassano Gabba (1844–1928), ...

, where he recorded twenty-two disposals and was praised by then-Essendon coach, James Hird, in particular for his courage around the ball. Playing the next seven matches, he missed the round seventeen match against at

AAMI Stadium Football Park, known commercially as AAMI Stadium, was an Australian rules football stadium located in West Lakes, a western suburb of Adelaide, the state capital of South Australia, Australia. It was built in 1973 by the South Australi ...

due to a hamstring injury. He ultimately missed the remainder of the season after he was suspended by the club due to an assault charge and finished with seven matches in his debut season. After playing the first five matches for the 2012 season, he suffered a hamstring injury during the first quarter of the

Anzac Day clash The Anzac Day match is an annual Australian rules football match between Collingwood and Essendon, two clubs in the Australian Football League, held on Anzac Day (25 April) at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). History of Australian rules f ...

against in round five, which forced him to miss six weeks of football. He made his return from injury through the

(VFL), playing for Essendon's affiliate team, . After playing two matches in the VFL, he returned to the AFL side for the twenty-four point win against at

Patersons Stadium Subiaco Oval (; nicknamed Subi) was a sports stadium in Perth, Western Australia, located in the suburb of Subiaco. It was opened in 1908 and closed in 2017 after the completion of the new Perth Stadium in Burswood. Subiaco Oval was the high ...

in round thirteen. He played the next three matches before injuring his quad in the fifty point win against at AAMI Stadium in round sixteen. He missed three weeks due to the injury and returned to the side for the twenty-four point loss against at Etihad Stadium in round twenty. He played the remainder of the season, managing thirteen matches for the year and was rewarded with the club rising star award as the best young player. At the end of the year he changed guernsey numbers from 43 to 1.

2013–2015: Emergence as a half-back flanker

The 2013 season saw Hibberd play every match of the year for the first time in his career. His performances during the season was described by ''

The Age ''The Age'' is a daily newspaper in Melbourne, Australia, that has been published since 1854. Owned and published by Nine Entertainment, ''The Age'' primarily serves Victoria, but copies also sell in Tasmania, the Australian Capital Territo ...

'' journalist, Rohan Connolly, as "the best football of his career" and he was named in Connolly's mid-season

All-Australian team The All-Australian team is an all-star team of Australian rules footballers, selected by a panel at the end of each season. It represents a complete team, including an interchange bench, of the best-performed players during the season, led by ...

. His running off of half-back saw him compared to six time All-Australian, Corey Enright, by Rohan Connolly. After the announcement of the forty man squad for the 2013 All-Australian team, he was considered unlucky to miss out on selection by ''AFL Media'' journalist, Nick Bowen, and ''The Age'' journalist and former player, Matthew Lloyd. His improved season saw him finish fourth in the clubs

count. Despite a hamstring injury during the 2014 NAB Challenge, Hibberd played the first fourteen matches of the year, before he was forced to miss the round sixteen match against Port Adelaide at the

Adelaide Oval Adelaide Oval is a sports ground in Adelaide, South Australia, located in the parklands between the city centre and North Adelaide. The venue is predominantly used for cricket and Australian rules football, but has also played host to rugby ...

due to an ankle injury. He returned to the side two weeks later for the seven point win against the at Etihad Stadium in round eighteen, before succumbing to a hamstring injury the next week and missed two weeks. He returned from injury in the three point win against at Etihad Stadium in round twenty-one, where he was named the best player for Essendon by ''The Age'' and ''AFL Media''. He played the remainder of the season, including his first final in the twelve point loss against at the

Melbourne Cricket Ground The Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), also known locally as "The 'G", is an Australian sports stadium located in Yarra Park, Melbourne, Victoria. Founded and managed by the Melbourne Cricket Club, it is the largest stadium in the Southern Hem ...

in the second elimination final. His form in the first half of the year before his injuries was praised within the industry, with ''

Herald Sun The ''Herald Sun'' is a conservative daily tabloid newspaper based in Melbourne, Australia, published by The Herald and Weekly Times, a subsidiary of News Corp Australia, itself a subsidiary of the Murdoch owned News Corp. The ''Herald ...

'' journalist, Sam Landsberger, claiming he was in All-Australian form and he signed a three-year contract with the club, tying him to the club until the end of the 2017 season. He played nineteen matches for the season and finished fourth in the best and fairest count for the second consecutive season. Hibberd played every match for the 2015 season apart from the final round match against Collingwood due to a knee injury. After strong seasons in 2013 and 2014, he had a dip in form after spending more time in the

midfield Midfield is the part of a sports field that lies approximately in the center. In American football, association football (soccer) and field hockey, it is the area in and around the center circle, as well as the players who occupy that region. In ...

. Despite a drop in form, he managed a top-ten finish in the best and fairest, placing eighth and he was named in Essendon's best players six times during the season by ''AFL Media''.

2016–present: Suspension and move to Melbourne

Hibberd, along with 33 other Essendon players, was found guilty of using a banned performance-enhancing substance,

thymosin beta-4 Thymosin beta-4 is a protein that in humans is encoded by the ''TMSB4X'' gene. Recommended INN (International Nonproprietary Name) for thymosin beta-4 is 'timbetasin', as published by the World Health Organization (WHO). The protein consists (in ...

, as part of Essendon's sports supplements program during the 2012 season. He and his teammates were initially found not guilty in March 2015 by the AFL Anti-Doping Tribunal, but a guilty verdict was returned in January 2016 after an appeal by the

World Anti-Doping Agency The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA; french: Agence mondiale antidopage, AMA) is a foundation initiated by the International Olympic Committee based in Canada to promote, coordinate, and monitor the fight against drugs in sports. The agency's k ...

. He was suspended for two years which, with backdating, ended in November 2016; as a result, he served approximately fourteen months of his suspension and missed the entire 2016 season. After speculation surrounding whether he would return to Essendon once his suspension was finished, he confirmed in August that he wanted to be traded to another club for a "fresh start" despite being contracted to Essendon until the end of 2017 and he nominated as his preferred destination in September. He was officially traded to Melbourne in October. Michael Hibberd tackling Jack Macrae

After experiencing

patella The patella, also known as the kneecap, is a flat, rounded triangular bone which articulates with the femur (thigh bone) and covers and protects the anterior articular surface of the knee joint. The patella is found in many tetrapods, such as m ...

tendinitis Tendinopathy, a type of tendon disorder that results in pain, swelling, and impaired function. The pain is typically worse with movement. It most commonly occurs around the shoulder ( rotator cuff tendinitis, biceps tendinitis), elbow ( tennis e ...

in his knee during 2016, Hibberd was eased back into pre-season training. In addition to sustaining a hamstring injury which limited his training further and he was forced to miss the opening match of the 2017 JLT Community Series. He played his first match in Melbourne colours in Melbourne's second match of the JLT Community Series, which was a fifty-four point win against at Casey Fields. A few days later, he suffered an

achilles In Greek mythology, Achilles ( ) or Achilleus ( grc-gre, Ἀχιλλεύς) was a hero of the Trojan War, the greatest of all the Greek warriors, and the central character of Homer's '' Iliad''. He was the son of the Nereid Thetis and Pe ...

injury at training, which forced him to miss five weeks of football. He returned to playing via the VFL with Melbourne's affiliate team, the , in the round one clash against at

Burbank Oval The Williamstown Cricket Ground, currently known by its sponsored name Downer Oval, and also informally as Point Gellibrand Oval, is a football and cricket stadium located in Williamstown, Victoria. The ground is located on Point Gellibrand, the ...

, in which he recorded twenty-five disposals and was one of Casey's best players according to elite performance manager, Dave Misson. He spent just the one week in the VFL before making his debut for Melbourne in the Anzac Day eve match against at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in round five where he recorded twenty-seven disposals, eight rebound 50s, six marks and a goal. He was named Melbourne's best player by ''Herald Sun'' journalist, Sam Landsberger, and was named in ''AFL Media's'' team of the week. He played every match for the remainder of the season to finish with eighteen games and averaged career-highs in disposals (27.4) and rebound 50s (6.8), the latter of which ranked second in the league; furthermore he averaged the highest metres gained per match (545.7) in the league. He was highly praised for his debut season with Melbourne with the

Australian Associated Press Australian Associated Press (AAP) is an Australian news agency. It was established by Keith Murdoch in 1935. AAP employs around 80 journalists who work in bureaus in all states and territories of Australia except the Northern Territory. It a ...

' Michael Ramsey writing Hibberd was almost certainly Melbourne's most valuable addition. The ''Herald Sun's'' Rebecca Williams and ''AFL Media's'' Ben Guthrie furthered this notion by stating he had proven to be one of the top recruits in the league. In addition, ''The Age'' reporter, Anthony Colangelo, said Hibberd was one of "Melbourne's best and most important players in their charge up the ladder." His season was rewarded with his first

selection, where he was named in the back pocket, he was one of three Melbourne nominees for the Leigh Matthews Trophy, and was named in ''AFL Media's'' team of the week a further three times after his debut for Melbourne. Despite being one of the favourites to win the

at Melbourne, he ultimately finished sixth in the award. He received international honours at the end of the season when he represented Australia in the

against

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

in November.

Assault charge

In August 2011, Hibbered was charged with assault after he punched and knocked a man out in Mornington on 31 July. He pleaded guilty to the charges in September and escaped conviction, but received a $2500 fine.

Statistics

''Updated to the end of the 2022 season''. , - , 2011 , , , , 43 , 9 , , 1 , , 1 , , 101 , , 71 , , 172 , , 47 , , 13 , , 0.1 , , 0.1 , , 11.2 , , 7.9 , , 19.1 , , 5.2 , , 1.4 , , 0 , - ,

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...

, , , , 43 , 13 , , 0 , , 1 , , 153 , , 79 , , 232 , , 65 , , 16 , , 0.0 , , 0.1 , , 11.8 , , 6.1 , , 17.8 , , 5.0 , , 1.2 , , 0 , - ,

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment ...

, , , , 1 , 22 , , 5 , , 3 , , 334 , , 186 , , 520 , , 135 , , 33 , , 0.2 , , 0.1 , , 15.2 , , 8.5 , , 23.6 , , 6.1 , , 1.5 , , 8 , - ,

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

, , , , 1 , 19 , , 2 , , 1 , , 286 , , 179 , , 465 , , 121 , , 29 , , 0.1 , , 0.1 , , 15.1 , , 9.4 , , 24.5 , , 6.4 , , 1.5 , , 3 , - ,

2015 File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the April ...

, , , , 1 , 21 , , 3 , , 5 , , 262 , , 204 , , 466 , , 113 , , 31 , , 0.1 , , 0.2 , , 12.5 , , 9.7 , , 22.2 , , 5.4 , , 1.5 , , 2 , - , 2016 , , , , 1 , 0 , , — , , — , , — , , — , , — , , — , , — , , — , , — , , — , , — , , — , , — , , — , , — , - ,

2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a ser ...

, , , , 14 , 18 , , 1 , , 1 , , 305 , , 188 , , 493 , , 97 , , 23 , , 0.1 , , 0.1 , , 17.0 , , 10.4 , , 27.4 , , 5.4 , , 1.3 , , 7 , - ,

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...

, , , , 14 , 21 , , 1 , , 1 , , 244 , , 153 , , 397 , , 83 , , 35 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 11.6 , , 7.3 , , 18.9 , , 4.0 , , 1.7 , , 1 , - ,

2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...

, , , , 14 , 19 , , 0 , , 2 , , 197 , , 127 , , 324 , , 75 , , 29 , , 0.0 , , 0.1 , , 10.4 , , 6.7 , , 17.1 , , 4.0 , , 1.5 , , 0 , - ,

2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global social and economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, worldwide lockdowns and the largest economic recession since the Great Depression in ...

, , , , 14 , 14 , , 1 , , 0 , , 135 , , 79 , , 214 , , 62 , , 14 , , 0.1 , , 0.0 , , 9.6 , , 5.6 , , 15.3 , , 4.4 , , 1.0 , , 0 , - , scope=row bgcolor=F0E68C ,

2021 File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October 2021 coup in Sudan; Crowd shortly after t ...

^# , , , , 14 , , 17 , , 0 , , 0 , , 127 , , 100 , , 227 , , 58 , , 35 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 7.5 , , 5.9 , , 13.4 , , 3.4 , , 2.1 , , 0 , - ,

2022 File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretariat; The global monkeyp ...

, , , , 14 , 12 , , 0 , , 0 , , 105 , , 62 , , 167 , , 52 , , 21 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 8.8 , , 5.2 , , 13.9 , , 4.3 , , 1.8 , , 0 , - class=sortbottom ! colspan=3 , Career ! 185 !! 14 !! 15 !! 2249 !! 1428 !! 3677 !! 908 !! 279 !! 0.1 !! 0.1 !! 12.2 !! 7.7 !! 19.9 !! 4.9 !! 1.5 !! 21 Notes

Honours and achievements

Team * AFL premiership player ():

* McClelland Trophy ():

Individual *

* Australia international rules football team:

Fothergill–Round–Mitchell Medal The Fothergill–Round–Mitchell Medal is a Victorian Football League (VFL) award that is presented to the most promising young talent in the VFL competition. The medal has been awarded annually since 1989. It was originally named the Fothergill ...

: 2010

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hibberd, Michael Essendon Football Club players Frankston Football Club players 1990 births Living people Australian rules footballers from Victoria (Australia) Doping cases in Australian rules football Bendigo Football Club players Melbourne Football Club players Casey Demons players All-Australians (AFL) Australia international rules football team players Melbourne Football Club Premiership players One-time VFL/AFL Premiership players