Michael Walters (born 7 January 1991) is an Australian rules footballer who plays for the

Fremantle Football Club The Fremantle Football Club, nicknamed the Dockers, is a professional Australian rules football club competing in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's elite competition. The team was founded in 1994 to represent the port city of Fr ...

in the Australian Football League (AFL). Originally playing mainly as a

small forward The small forward (SF), also known as the three or swingman, is one of the five positions in a regulation basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular c ...

, Walters has recently spent more time in the midfield. In 2019 he was rewarded with his debut selection in the

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 ...

. He has been a member of Fremantle's leadership group since 2017.

Junior career

A highly skilled player who mainly plays as a midfielder or forward,Broad, Ben
Countdown:Michael Walters
; 25 November 2008 Walters was selected by

Fremantle Fremantle () () is a port city in Western Australia, located at the mouth of the Swan River in the metropolitan area of Perth, the state capital. Fremantle Harbour serves as the port of Perth. The Western Australian vernacular diminutive for ...

with the 53rd pick in the 2008 AFL Draft. He had made his senior debut for

Swan Districts The Swan Districts Football Club, nicknamed the Swans, is an Australian rules football club playing in the West Australian Football League (WAFL) and WAFL Women's (WAFLW). The club is based at Bassendean Oval, in Bassendean, an eastern suburb ...

in the

West Australian Football League The West Australian Football League (WAFL) is an Australian rules football league based in Perth, Western Australia. The league currently consists of ten teams, which play each other in a 20-round season usually lasting from March to September ...

in 2008, playing 2 matches. Nicknamed ''Son-son'', he lived on the same street in Midvale as his former Swan Districts teammates and fellow 2008 AFL draftees

Nic Naitanui Nicholas Mark Naitanui (; born 4 May 1990) is an Australian rules footballer who plays for the West Coast Eagles in the Australian Football League (AFL). He was born in Sydney to Fijian parents, and his family moved to Perth, Western Austral ...

and

Chris Yarran Christopher Yarran (born 19 December 1990) is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played for the Carlton Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). He was also listed with the Richmond Football Club but did not ...

. Walters' father Mike played for Central District 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 governing body for the sport. Originally formed as th ...

. In 2007 he represented

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to ...

at the Under 16 Championships and won the

Kevin Sheehan Medal Kevin Vincent Sheehan OAM (born 1 August 1953) is a former Australian rules footballer for Geelong and the current Australian Football League (AFL) National Talent and International Manager, a member of the AFL football operations sub-committe ...

(shared with

Tom Scully Tom Scully (born 15 May 1991) is a former professional Australian rules footballer. He played for the Melbourne Football Club, Greater Western Sydney Giants, and Hawthorn Football Club. A star midfielder at junior level, Scully was originally ...

) as the best player in the championships, after kicking 10 goals in his three games. He was a member of the 2007-08 AIS/AFL Academy squad and in 2008 represented Western Australia at the

2008 AFL Under 18 Championships The 2008 AFL Under 18 Championships is the 2008 series of the AFL Under 18 Championships, a state and territory based Australian rules football competition which showcase the best junior footballers in Australia, primarily with the aim for them ...

and was named in the

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 ...

AFL career

Walters made his AFL debut for

in Round 11 of the

2009 AFL season The 2009 AFL season was the 113th season of the Australian Football League (AFL), the highest level senior Australian rules football competition in Australia, which was known as the Victorian Football League until 1989. The season featured six ...

Football Park 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 Australian Nat ...

against

Port Adelaide Port Adelaide is a port-side region of Adelaide, approximately northwest of the Adelaide CBD. It is also the namesake of the City of Port Adelaide Enfield council, a suburb, a federal and state electoral division and is the main port for the ...

, after

Hayden Ballantyne Hayden Ballantyne (born 16 July 1987) is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the Fremantle Football Club in the Australian Football League. He was a 2014 All Australian and has previously won a Sandover Medal while playing wit ...

was a late withdrawal due to injury. He kicked a goal in debut match, minutes before fellow debutant and

teammate

Clancee Pearce Clancee Pearce (born 23 October 1990) is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played for the Fremantle Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). After attending Chisholm Catholic College and then Guildford Gramma ...

also kicked a goal. Prior to the start of the

2012 AFL season The 2012 AFL season was the 116th season of the Australian Football League (AFL), the highest level senior Australian rules football competition in Australia, which was known as the Victorian Football League until 1989. The season featured e ...

, Walters was suspended from training with Fremantle and sent back to train and play for Swan Districts due to a poor fitness level and being overweight. He improved his fitness and performed well for Swans, and was accepted back at Fremantle in April. Walters returned to the AFL in July, in round 16 against

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/ Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a me ...

. He played in every game after returning, kicking 22 goals from 10 games. In late September 2012 Walters was re-signed for a further two years, until the end of the 2014 season. In 2013 Walters had his best season to date, kicking 46 goals From 21 games, was named in the initial All Australian 40-man squad and won his first Fremantle leading goal-kicker award. In 2015, he had another consistent goal-kicking season, which saw him kick 44 goals across 22 games, winning his second Fremantle leading goal-kicker award. In the 2017 season, his standout performance came in Round 15, at

Domain 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 ...

against St Kilda, where he collected a team-high 32 disposals and kicked 6 goals. He was ruled out for the remainder of the season after injuring his Posterior Cruciate Ligament in his left knee, in Fremantle's loss to

Hawthorn Hawthorn or Hawthorns may refer to: Plants * '' Crataegus'' (hawthorn), a large genus of shrubs and trees in the family Rosaceae * ''Rhaphiolepis'' (hawthorn), a genus of about 15 species of evergreen shrubs and small trees in the family Rosace ...

in Round 18. Despite being moved into the midfield towards the middle of the season, he finished the season with 22 goals from 17 games. In 2018, especially after the suspension and subsequent injury to

Nat Fyfe Nathan Fyfe (born 18 September 1991) is a professional Australian rules footballer playing for the Fremantle Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). He has served as Fremantle captain since the 2017 season. Fyfe is a dual Bro ...

, Walters spent increasing amounts of time in the midfield, where he finished the season averaging 19.8 disposals per game, his highest average in his career so far. He won Fremantle's leading goal-kicker award, his 4th for the club, kicking 22 goals from 18 games. He was a finalist for

Mark of the Year The annual Australian Football League Mark of the Year competition (currently also known as the Four'N Twenty AFL Mark of the Year) is a sporting award that celebrates each season's best mark. A mark is the action of a player cleanly catchi ...

, where he was nominated for his high-flying mark on

Jeremy McGovern Jeremy McGovern (born 15 April 1992) is an Australian rules footballer who plays for the West Coast Eagles in the Australian Football League (AFL). He is a tall key-position player who has spent most of his career as a defender, although he occa ...

, against the

West Coast Eagles The West Coast Eagles are a professional Australian rules football club based in Perth, Western Australia. The club was founded in 1986 as one of two expansion teams in the Australian Football League (AFL), then known as the Victorian Footbal ...

in Round 20. Walters started 2019 in blazing fashion, averaging career-high figures. In Round 10, he kicked a behind after the siren to give the Dockers a 1-point win over the

Brisbane Lions The Brisbane Lions is a professional Australian rules football in Australia, Australian rules football club based in Brisbane, Queensland, that plays in the Australian Football League (AFL). The club was formed in late 1996 via a merger of t ...

Optus stadium Perth Stadium, currently known as Optus Stadium for sponsorship reasons, is a multi-purpose stadium in Perth, Western Australia, located in the suburb of Burswood. It was completed in late 2017 and officially opened on 21 January 2018. The s ...

. The following week in the Round 11 clash with

Collingwood Collingwood, meaning "wood of disputed ownership", may refer to: Educational institutions * Collingwood College, Victoria, an Australian state Prep to Year 12 school * Collingwood College, Durham, college of Durham University, England * Collingw ...

at the

MCG 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 ...

, Walters kicked a goal with 30 seconds remaining to give the Dockers a 4-point lead which ultimately won them the game. Arguably, his best performance came in Round 13 when Fremantle played Port Adelaide at Optus stadium. He kicked 6.1 and picked up 25 disposals in the 21-point victory, and was awarded the maximum 10 in the AFLCA votes for his performance. Walters received his first All-Australian selection named in the 2019

as a half forward. The

2022 AFL season The 2022 AFL season is the 126th season of the Australian Football League (AFL), the highest level senior men's Australian rules football competition in Australia, which was known as the Victorian Football League until 1989. The season features ...

saw Walters make his return as a forward after spending time in the midfield in recent seasons. Walters played his 200th game during Fremantle's round 23 clash against GWS, he played a pivotal role kicking three goals in Fremantle's 20 point win. Walters played a crucial role in Fremantle's elimination final victory over the Western Bulldogs at

Optus Stadium Perth Stadium, currently known as Optus Stadium for sponsorship reasons, is a multi-purpose stadium in Perth, Western Australia, located in the suburb of Burswood. It was completed in late 2017 and officially opened on 21 January 2018. The s ...

kicking three goals.

Statistics

: ''Statistics are correct to the end of 2022 Qualifying Finals''Michael Walters's player profile at AFL Tables
/ref> , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2009 File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 38 , , 3 , , 2 , , 1 , , 21 , , 11 , , 32 , , 14 , , 5 , , 0.7 , , 0.3 , , 7.0 , , 3.7 , , 10.7 , , 4.7 , , 1.7 , , 0 , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 38 , , 5 , , 8 , , 1 , , 52 , , 17 , , 69 , , 15 , , 12 , , 1.6 , , 0.2 , , 10.4 , , 3.4 , , 13.8 , , 3.0 , , 2.4 , , 0 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" , 2011 , style="text-align:center;", , 38 , , 3 , , 4 , , 3 , , 19 , , 5 , , 24 , , 3 , , 8 , , 1.3 , , 1.0 , , 6.3 , , 1.7 , , 8.0 , , 1.0 , , 2.7 , , 0 , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

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 ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 38 , , 10 , , 22 , , 11 , , 83 , , 36 , , 119 , , 40 , , 29 , , 2.2 , , 1.1 , , 8.3 , , 3.6 , , 11.9 , , 4.0 , , 2.9 , , 0 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

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 ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 10 , , 21 , , 46 , , 23 , , 231 , , 93 , , 324 , , 108 , , 52 , , 2.2 , , 1.1 , , 11.0 , , 4.4 , , 15.4 , , 5.1 , , 2.5 , , 6 , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

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 ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 10 , , 8 , , 15 , , 13 , , 79 , , 28 , , 107 , , 29 , , 20 , , 1.9 , , 1.6 , , 9.9 , , 3.5 , , 13.4 , , 3.6 , , 2.5 , , 0 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

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 ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 10 , , 22 , , 44 , , 19 , , 225 , , 107 , , 332 , , 77 , , 54 , , 2.0 , , 0.9 , , 10.2 , , 4.9 , , 15.1 , , 3.5 , , 2.4 , , 3 , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" , 2016 , style="text-align:center;", , 10 , , 22 , , 36 , , 21 , , 244 , , 157 , , 401 , , 91 , , 66 , , 1.6 , , 1.0 , , 11.1 , , 7.1 , , 18.2 , , 4.1 , , 3.0 , , 3 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

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 ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 10 , , 17 , , 22 , , 14 , , 197 , , 130 , , 327 , , 74 , , 45 , , 1.3 , , 0.8 , , 11.6 , , 7.6 , , 19.2 , , 4.4 , , 2.6 , , 10 , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

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 ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 10 , , 18 , , 22 , , 14 , , 206 , , 150 , , 356 , , 65 , , 59 , , 1.2 , , 0.8 , , 11.4 , , 8.3 , , 19.8 , , 3.6 , , 3.3 , , 8 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

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 ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 10 , , 22 , , 40 , , 17 , , 303 , , 176 , , 479 , , 83 , , 78 , , 1.8 , , 0.8 , , 13.8 , , 8.0 , , 21.8 , , 3.8 , , 3.5 , , 11 , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

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 ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 10 , , 14 , , 15 , , 7 , , 145 , , 102 , , 247 , , 44 , , 40 , , 1.1 , , 0.5 , , 10.4 , , 7.3 , , 17.6 , , 3.1 , , 2.9 , , 8 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

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 ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 10 , , 16 , , 14 , , 11 , , 147 , , 76 , , 223 , , 63 , , 33 , , 0.9 , , 0.7 , , 9.2 , , 4.8 , , 13.9 , , 3.9 , , 2.1 , , 0 , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

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 ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 10 , , 20 , , 23 , , 15 , , 164 , , 121 , , 285 , , 79 , , 54 , , 1.2 , , 0.8 , , 8.2 , , 6.1 , , 14.3 , , 4.0 , , 2.7 , , , - class="sortbottom" ! colspan=3, Career ! 201 ! 313 ! 170 ! 2116 ! 1209 ! 3325 ! 785 ! 555 ! 1.6 ! 0.9 ! 10.5 ! 6.0 ! 16.5 ! 3.9 ! 2.8 ! 49 Notes

References

External links

* *
WAFL Footy Facts playing statistics
{{DEFAULTSORT:Walters, Michael Fremantle Football Club players Living people 1991 births Indigenous Australian players of Australian rules football Swan Districts Football Club players Australian rules footballers from Western Australia People educated at Governor Stirling Senior High School All-Australians (AFL) Peel Thunder Football Club players