Three-time premiership Lion reflects on shock move to Dons after first retirement

Three-time premiership player Mal Michael has reflected on his controversial move from Brisbane to Essendon.

Michael, who played 140 games for the Lions from 2001 to 2006 after an initial 61 games for Collingwood from 1997 to 200, made the shock decision to retire at 29 while seemingly at the top of his game.

The defender says his retirement call and decision to leave the Lions came from wanting more balance between his football life and professional life, but it was rightly something coach Leigh Matthews didn’t want to offer him and not the rest of the playing group.

“I went and saw Leigh and I still had a year to run on my contract,” Michael told *This is Your Sporting Journey – thanks to Tobin Brothers.

“I requested to have a day off during the week to work on personal development and life after football.

“But Leigh rightly said, ‘If you can’t prepare to be a footballer, then you shouldn’t be one’.

“So that was it. I retired after that within an hour I went up to the CEO’s office and I signed the release form.

“I still wanted to play, I still played footy until I was 38 years old (after AFL), but it just didn’t fit into what Brisbane wanted.”

After that retirement call, Michael shocked the footy world by reconsidering his future after Essendon got in touch with him, agreeing to play for the Bombers after talking to then-assistant coach Gary O’Donnell.

Michael has fond memories of playing his final two seasons at Essendon.

“Fond memories at Essendon, it was good to get back to Melbourne and play for a big club,” Michael said.

“In hindsight, you could probably say that it would have been nice to finish in Brisbane.

“But that’s what happened, I retired, and Essendon reached out to say, ‘Would you be interested in playing?’.

“So, I took that opportunity.”

Michael played 37 games for Essendon before finally retiring for good at the end of the 2008 campaign.

Listen to stories about his career and much more on this week’s episode.