Geelong Cats champion Michael Turner dies at age 70

Geelong legend Michael Turner was honoured by the AFL just days before losing his two-year battle with pancreatic cancer in a touching tribute.

The late Michael Turner with his Geelong teammates Michael Woolnough, Paul Sarah, Bryan Cousins and Jack Hawkins after a 1976 elimination final win over Footscray.

Geelong great Michael Turner was quietly awarded life membership of the AFL in a touching tribute just days before he lost a two-year battle with pancreatic cancer.

Turner passed away on Monday, only weeks after marking his 70th birthday earlier this month.

It has since come to light that the former Cats captain and long-term regional manager of the Geelong Falcons was told in the days before Christmas that he had been awarded life membership of the league for his contribution to the game.

The honour followed a special resolution from the AFL Commission, which received several submissions from prominent football figures asking for Turner to be formally recognised.

Players automatically qualify for life membership of the AFL if they reach 300 games, but injuries resulted in Turner finishing his career short of that mark on 245 matches.

However, his impact on football went far beyond his playing days as he headed up the successful Falcons program for 25 years, helping to identify and develop a raft of modern day stars including Gary Ablett Jnr, Patrick Dangerfield, Luke Hodge, Jonathan Brown and Jimmy Bartel.

“Mick Turner was a brilliant wingman in an era of fantastic players who starred across the middle of the ground and Cats fans remember him for his pace and ability to kick a big team-lifting goal,” AFL chief executive Andrew Dillon said.

“Post his playing career, he gave so much more to the game as a mentor and confidant to generations of talented young players and many of our greats who have come out of the Falcons’ program all cite him as a pivotal influence on their success.

“We send all our love to his family at this difficult time.”

Following in the footsteps of his father, Leo, Turner played 245 games for the Cats in a celebrated career which spanned from 1974 to 1988.

Featuring on a wing and across half-forward, he kicked 285 goals and served as club captain from 1984 to 1986.

In a social media post on Monday, the Geelong Falcons said Turner was a “legendary” figure, with 134 players drafted from the club during his 25-year tenure.

“Mick passed away today at the Lorne Hospital after a two-year battle with pancreatic cancer,” the club said in a statement.

“Put simply, the Geelong Falcons aren’t the program it is today without Mick.

“In his 25 years as talent manager, he guided so many careers on and off the field and has had a monumental impact on football in the southwest of Victoria over many decades.

“’MT9’s legacy will live long in the walls of Highton Reserve and in all the faces who have come through the club.”

Geelong great Michael Turner and his wife, Karen in 2023. Football. Picture: Supplied

Possessing immaculate two-sided skills and game-breaking pace, he was named on one wing of Geelong’s Team of the Century, with his father earning a spot on the other wing.

“I missed quite a few games with injury – well over 80,” Turner told Fox Footy’s Open Mike program in 2014.

“Maybe if I had a better run with injury, I might have played 300, which takes you into another status.

“I’m not a real football head. There’s other things in my life that interest me but I pursued football because I was good at it. If I had had the choice, I actually played the drums as a young bloke and I would have been in a rock band. That would be my first choice…and second choice would probably be a surfer.”

After finishing his career with the Cats, Turner served as a captain-coach of Werribee in the Victorian Football Association before being appointed as regional manager of the Geelong Falcons in 1995.

Across 25 years in the talent pathway programs, he helped to identify and develop many of football’s modern-day legends including Gary Ablett Jnr, Patrick Dangerfield, Luke Hodge, Jonathan Brown and Jimmy Bartel.

In that 2014 interview, Turner said that he believed Ablett Jnr was “the greatest player that’s ever played the game”, despite also playing alongside his father Ablett Snr.

Michael Turner. Picture: Peter Ristevski

Former AFL player agent Ricky Nixon paid tribute to Turner.

“Michael was a legend who went out of his way to help me set up my player management early days by referring stars from Geelong Falcons to me,” he wrote.

“The likes of Scott Lucas, Jimmy Bartel, Matthew Scarlett etc. such stars were under his guidance including Luke Hodge, Jonathan Brown (and) Gary Ablett Jnr, the list goes on and on.

“RIP Micky, knowing what a icon of the game you were and your kindness and friendship never forgotten and Catter thru and thru.”

Barwon Heads Football Club said it was “deeply saddened” to hear that Turner had died, describing him as a “true legend on and off the field”.

“Beyond his notable success at the highest level with Geelong Football Club and his significant influence at the Geelong Falcons, Mick was a cornerstone of our community,” the club said in its statement.

“He served in various roles including vice president, committeeman, chairman of selectors, recruiter, and many others.

“His dedication was evident when he even donned the boots for a senior game in 1994.

“Mick was pivotal in the 1993 premiership victory, and his passion ignited a legacy that continues to burn brightly each year.”

The club’s “deepest sympathies” went to Turner’s wife Karen and sons Levi and Che, who both played for the Seagulls, their partners Brooke and Grace and his “adoring grandchildren” Frankie, Ziggy, Raff and Arlo.

Originally published as Geelong Cats champion Michael Turner dies at age 70