AFL 2023: Max Michalanney’ hot start as a Crow turns him into a fan favourite
Father-son draftee Max Michalanney has made a roaring start to his time at the Crows, and it may have something to do with the hard-nosed mantra his dad instills in his family.
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They have a bit of a catchphrase in the Michalanney household.
And it sums up the approach of first year Adelaide defender Max Michalanney who is already becoming a Crows’ fan favourite.
When the Crows told Michalanney in front of the playing group that he was going to debut in Round 1, just months after being selected as a father-son with pick 17 in the draft, they got four-time Norwood premiership winning dad Jim to say a few words.
He ended his speech with “flog the daylights out of Maxy”, which prompted a playful tap from the young Crow.
“Whenever any of our kids go out to play tennis, cricket, footy, whatever it is I would say to Max or Jack (Max’s brother) “flog the daylights out of them” it is a bit of a family catchphrase,” Jim told News Corp.
“Do your best sort of thing, be a teammate first, don’t go looking for cheap kicks and my last bit of advice was flog the daylights out of him.
“That is just a bit of a common phrase in our family when they go out and play sport.”
Michalanney had already impressed in his first two games of the season for the Crows.
With just under 19 minutes to go in the third quarter of Adelaide’s famous Showdown win he won a place in the hearts of every Crows fan, and endeared himself to many others around the league.
Chasing the ball, as soon as Michalanney got his hands on it he was met with a huge tackle from Port Adelaide's Todd Marshall.
The 19-year-old is listed on the Crows website as weighing 80kg, but to the eye he looks much skinnier.
Marshall, five years older, eight centimetres higher at 198cm weights 94kg.
It looked like a tackle, fair and absolutely legal, that would have left Michalanney with broken ribs at the very least.
With all the air hit out of him, Michalanney took some time to get up but was able to jog off the field.
He then returned to the field and played an important role as the Crows overcame the Power in a Showdown classic.
Looking on from the southern stand Jim and Max’s mum Amanda weren’t surprised that Michalanney got back up and played on.
“It happened so quickly, I just hoped he was OK. He was pretty winded and he came off,” Jim said.
“But his mother had the binoculars and said he was sitting up on the bench so we knew there was nothing too wrong with him and we didn’t really think too much of it.
“When he got back on he didn’t seem to have too many ill effects from it.
“He said he got a lot of positive from it because people appreciated that he was able to get back up after going down so hard.
“He is pretty tough, he has three other brothers one is two years older than him and one is two years younger than him.
“And they were always squabbling and fighting on the front lawn and with the kids down the road.
“They used to have impromptu matches as kids and they would be full on so he’s grown up in a tough environment in that respect.”
It also didn’t surprise past and present coaches of Michalanney.
“That’s what that sort of game asks of you,” Norwood coach Jade Rawlings said.
“For three and a half quarters of it, it was full of intensity and players got asked the question and Max didn’t shirk it one iota when Marshall came the other way.
“It was memorable and as a player trying to forge a career you can earn a lot of respect and credibility very quickly like he has and like he did.”
Crows senior assistant coach Scott Burns was asked if the coaches learnt something about Michalanney from the way he responded to the heavy hit.
“No we didn’t learn anything new about Maxy,” he said.
“It’s funny when, you have a player that has come in and played three games but it is nearly what we expect from Maxy.
“He has come in and from the first day he was fantastic for us, I reckon it was probably three weeks in and he was on Izak Rankine in some match sim and kept with him then.
“He shown some signs from then.
“That showed a bit ticker didn’t it because that was a reasonable hit to the ribs.”
News Corp understands that Michalanney’s performance on West Coast’s Liam Ryan in the Crows pre-season game, keeping him to 10 touches and a goal, really caught the eye of Adelaide coaches.
Rawlings said Michalanney always enjoyed the big tasks, which was one of the main things that impressed him.
“He just plays footy, he doesn’t try to do anything more or take it for granted he just plays footy and his natural ability and competitiveness just shines through,” he said.
“When we played Adelaide in the prelim last year we were going to have him on (Luke) Pedlar who had done a reasonable job on him a few weeks before.
“So I came up to him in the warm-up and I said to him that I have some bad news for you, and he might have thought I was going to drop him in the warm-up, but I said mate unfortunately Pedlar is a late out.
“And he said “oh, that’s Pedlar’s lucky day”.
“He said it in jest, and with complete respect for Luke who is a teammate now, but it summed up that he wanted to be matched up on arguably the most or if not one of the most important players that day.”
One week later Michalanney was omitted from the Norwood side that would go on and win the SANFL grand final.
Rawlings said the way he handled it was just almost as impressive as the way he went about it on the field.
“The dignity that he handled omission from the grand final team was all class,” he said.
“He understood that he got his opportunity because Pierce Seymour hurt his ankle and equally that when Pierce Seymour was fit he would probably come back into the team.
“So humorous, dignified, all those things that are great human traits are what I love about Max.”
NICKS: ‘STRONG SQUAD’ MEANS NO RISK WITH FOGARTY’S KNEE
-- Matt Turner
Adelaide coach Matthew Nicks has praised the club’s depth as the best in his four years at West Lakes.
The Crows had four AFL regulars – forward Darcy Fogarty (knee), high flyer Shane McAdam (suspension), defender Josh Worrell (hamstring) and half-back Patty Parnell (concussion) – missing in the Showdown on Saturday night, yet still prevailed by 31 points.
None of that quartet will be back for Saturday’s home game against Fremantle, while hard nut Luke Pedlar will also be sidelined due to a one-game rough conduct ban.
But with the Crows’ SANFL side thumping Port Adelaide by 78 points in round 1, Nicks said the players knocking on the selection door were able to fill the void.
“Our squad is as strong as it’s been since I’ve been at the club,” Nicks said.
“Our SANFL performances at the moment have been consistent and at a very high level, and we’ve got a lot of players who are hand-up ready saying ‘I can play AFL level if you need’.
“Even with a few guys out for different reasons … we’ve got guys coming in who are in good form.
“That’s the sign of a strong squad.”
Key defender Jordon Butts and midfielder Sam Berry did not train but Nicks was pretty confident both would be available to face the Dockers.
The club’s five-day break ahead of the Gather Round clash with Carlton, Berry being down on form and Pedlar’s absence are among the selection discussions this week.
Nicks floated Ned McHenry, who registered 21 disposals and two goals in the reserves on Saturday, as a candidate to replace Pedlar.
Midfielder Harry Schoenberg (34 possessions, three majors) is another contender.
Fogarty is recovering from a medial strain and will now be eyeing a return in the club’s Gather Round clash with Carlton next Thursday.
He jogged along the sidelines at training on Wednesday with his knee heavily strapped.
“It’s going to be one we err on the conservative,” Nicks said.
“He’s progressing well, there’s just no risk.”
Parnell will be available to face the Blues.
Nicks said the Showdown triumph, which took the Crows to a 1-2 record, helped reinforce the club’s belief it was on the right track.
But he was mindful that it was only one win and the team needed to string victories together.
“There’s no doubt the outcomes pile up and the noise becomes deafening from outside but internally we knew we were doing a lot of things right,” he said.
“So as a coach I do smile after those because I know we come out of it with more positive momentum.”
THILTHORPE NEVER PLAYING SANFL AGAIN? NOT QUITE, SAY CROWS
— Simeon Thomas-Wilson
A five-goal display in the Showdown has many saying Riley Thilthorpe should never play in the SANFL again.
But Adelaide senior assistant coach Scott Burns says Thilthorpe is “still on a journey”, despite tracking nicely with fellow key forwards from his draft class Jamarra Ugle-Hagan and Logan McDonald.
The 20-year-old was one of the shining lights in the club’s 31-point Showdown 53 victory on Saturday night, kicking five goals, including the sealer, to go with 11 disposals, in a commanding display in his first full game at the top level this season.
It came after Thilthorpe was first left out of the Round 1 side and then was the tactical sub in Round 2.
Following the starring performance against the Power, many have said Thilthorpe should not play at state-league level again.
Burns said that was a bit too simple.
“That has been used a bit, it is a throw away line really isn’t it?” he said.
“He wouldn’t have done that on the weekend if he didn’t go back into the SANFL and developed his game.
“People just get caught up on that players have to play AFL football when they are young, which isn’t the case.
“But he kicks five goals and looks pretty special.”
Burns said the time key forwards take could not be more evident when comparing Thilthorpe to the other talls in his draft.
In the 2020 draft, Ugle-Hagan went No. 1 to the Western Bulldogs after they matched the Crows’ NGA bid.
Thilthorpe went No. 2, while two picks later Sydney selected McDonald.
Ugle-Hagan has played 25 games and kicked 31 goals, Thilthorpe has played 27 games and kicked 32 goals and McDonald 27 games and 32 goals.
“So they all take time to develop and I think all those three boys are ahead of Joshy Kennedy at West Coast and probably (Harry) McKay at Carlton at the same age,” Burns said.
“So they just take time.
“When you see a young fella like that who comes in, a young key position who kicks five you think geez he shouldn’t play SANFL again but he is still on a journey, there will still be ups and downs.”
Darcy Fogarty missed the Showdown with a knee injury but might be in the frame to return for Saturday’s clash against Fremantle.
Taylor Walker required attention during the match and will be a watch at training this week.
Sam Berry was subbed out with an ankle injury, but Burns said the Crows hoped he could take on the Dockers.
Luke Pedlar will miss after the Crows accepted the one-match ban he was hit with for a tackle on Port Adelaide’s Dan Houston.
“Once it comes in it is pretty hard to argue, I guess you can look at 20 other tackles and they all look pretty similar,” Burns said.
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