Opinion
Max Michalanney is the Round 5 Rising Star nominee after continuing his consistent start to the season in the Crows’ stunning win over Carlton last Thursday evening.
Michallaney is the second father-son selection to gain a nomination this season, after being taken by Adelaide at pick 17 which they were forced to ‘use’ because Sydney – happily playing the villain in the first round of the draft – said his name. This was a bit higher than expected for the 191cm defender, but the form he’s shown in his very short career suggests that using a late first-round choice will not be regretted at all by the Crows hierarchy.
Michalanney is the son of former Norwood champion and four-time SANFL premiership player Jim, following in his footsteps to Adelaide footy factory Rostrevor College, as well as the Norwood Redlegs. Michalanney’s junior football was played in a remarkably similar manner to his senior footy – no fuss, wins contests, and uses the ball well when rebounding off half back.
Michalanney played under 18s, reserves and seniors at Norwood in 2022, as well as also representing South Australia in the National Championships. It was in the latter competition that his skills came to the fore, displaying very impressive athleticism as well as sound defensive skills. His is a tantalising skillset in the modern game – pace, game sense and an appetite for defence, meaning that rather than the classic ‘couldn’t make it as a forward’ of yesteryear, he appears set for 200+ games across halfback.
To be fair to Michalanney, he has probably had better games already this season than what he showed in Round 5 (his games against the Power and the Dockers were arguably superior), but as a first-choice defender in a team sitting pretty inside the top eight, he had to receive this nomination based on his ‘body of work’. Anyone who has taken notes whilst watching him play will have been impressed – he truly looks like he belongs, rarely losing contests and backing himself in when the opportunity arises.
He spent quite a bit of time on Carlton livewire Jesse Motlop (who is one of my favourites, though if I’m being honest that is mainly based on just how bloody lovely he seemed in the first iteration of Show Me The Money) and didn’t give him an inch, displaying great defensive nous as well as a willingness to tackle and compete. Motlop is obviously a small forward, and this kind of versatility is something that only increases his value, especially as opposition teams’ forward lines will vary between one, two and three key forwards at any one time. Michalanney’s athleticism means that he’ll be able to play taller or shorter depending on the opponent.
The highlight of his Round 5 performance for me though, was a glorious 40m pass to a leading Tex Walker inside 50 after receiving a long handpass at full pace on the defensive side of the centre circle. The confidence to not just leave his opponent to become an option, but also the willingness to lower his eyes and hit the leading target was something I’m sure Matthew Nicks along with everyone else at the Crows highlighted in their post-match review.
Michalanney plays like someone who thinks – knows – he belongs.
He won’t win it because he’s not flashy and his role will be underrated in comparison to others, but there’s every chance he’ll snag himself a few votes assuming he maintains a level of consistency across the whole season.
Nick Haynes is the first guy who comes to mind for me, even though Michalanney hasn’t yet shown quite the intercept marking adeptness that Haynes has – give it time though!
Provided he maintains the defensive level that I expect, then his ceiling is solely dictated by his ability to consistently get involved on the offensive side. A 12-15 possession winner who beats his opponent will be one of his team’s first selected, but on the outside, he’ll always be viewed as a contributor rather than a match-winner.
Add half a dozen possessions and a couple of hundred metres gained to that stat line and suddenly Michalanney is well and truly entrenched amongst the AFL’s elite defenders.
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