Horse is a fitting nickname for Sam Michael.
The 19-year-old was given the moniker in his early days at Redland on account of his monumental eating ability, but since being drafted to the Lions it’s now apparent the tag works on another level.
“Sam Michael works like a Trojan horse,” Lions Reserves Coach Leigh Harding said.
“His work ethic is monumental; he’s one of the hardest working guys at the club; right up there with the best.
“Anything he does – be it on or off the field – he does at 100%, and that’s something you can’t teach.
“He is so hungry to become better, and that’s great to see in such a young guy.”
He’s got the laconic drawl of a born-and-bred Queenslander, loves a laugh and joke, and is a bit of a larrikin around the club - “the life of any party,” as Harding puts it.
Michael is a genuinely good bloke, and he’s a bloody good footballer too.
After being taken by the Lions with pick 96 in the 2011 rookie draft, Michael’s progressed steadily, and one gets the sense he’ll continue to get better the longer he’s in an AFL environment.
The ruckman/forward took a little while to work his way into Brisbane’s 2012 NEAFL campaign, but come the business end of the year he was outstanding; with eye-catching displays against Gold Coast, Southport, and NT helping the Lions to the 2012 cross-conference Grand Final.
Michael was a colossus in the decider, dominating in the ruck and in the air, leading the Lions to victory over Queanbeyan, and picking up the Andrew Ireland Medal as best afield in the process.
If last year was good, this season has been great thus far for the AIS/AFL academy graduate, with Michael in stellar form for the Lions, and winning the Zane Taylor Medal as NEAFL North’s best in the Round 8 state clash with SANFL.
When Justin Clarke and Daniel Merrett were suspended following the Lions’ upset Round 8 win over Essendon, Michael was elevated to the senior list and called in to fill the athletic big man void (Michael is 199cm, 102kg, and among the top four runners at the Lions), and he debuted under lights at the Gabba against Carlton.
Remarkably, Sam’s younger brother Tom, 16, was selected for his first senior appearance in the NEAFL for Redland, and the siblings debuted on the exact same day – just hours apart.
It’s fair to say Saturday 25 May is a date which the Michael parents – George and Chanelle – won’t forget anytime soon; the proud pair watching Tom at Casheez Park against Mt Gravatt in the afternoon, before driving across town in time for Sam’s 7:30pm start.
“My parents were understandably rapt with the way it happened,” Sam Michael recalls.
“I found out early on the Thursday that I’d be in the team against the Blues and they rang just about everyone they knew, then Tom got picked on the Thursday night at training and they had to do it all over again!”
With the younger Michael harbouring ambitions to follow in his brother’s footsteps and feature in footys top flight, Sam knows he’s giving himself the best chance possible wearing the Bombers’ red and black.
“Redland is a fantastic club, and Tom is very determined to make it in footy, and he’ll get every opportunity with the Bombers.
“The NEAFL is becoming a very viable pathway to the AFL – look at the likes of Dayne Zorko, Adam Oxley, and Tom Bell from the last couple of years – and if he keeps on growing, learning, and improving, he’s a real chance to get drafted in future.”
Sam Canavan is a journalist with the NEAFL. You can follow him on twitter @samcanavan.
