AFL 2021: Premiership defender Michael Hibberd signs contract extension
Premiership-winning Demons defender Michael Hibberd has signed a contract extension that will keep him at the club in 2022.
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Premiership-winning defender Michael Hibberd has signed a one-year contract extension with Melbourne.
Hibberd, 31, played in the back pocket in the Demons’ 2021 grand final win over the Western Bulldogs after missing a significant portion of the pre-season through injury.
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Melbourne list manager Tim Lamb said the club was pleased to have retained Hibberd’s service.
“We are rapt that Michael will be going around again next year,” Lamb said.
“We are confident that with a full pre-season under his belt, he will have a really strong 2022 season.”
Since making his senior debut in 2011, Hibberd has played 173 AFL games, including 89 for the Demons, whom he joined from Essendon in 2017.
In a season when Melbourne’s backline won continual praise from AFL pundits, Hibberd played 17 games.
He was dropped for the Demons’ qualifying final against Brisbane to make way for Joel Smith, but when Smith went down injured, Hibberd found himself named in the preliminary and grand final teams.
Hibberd’s fellow premiership players Jake Lever, Tom McDonald, Christian Salem, Clayton Oliver, Max Gawn and Alex Neal-Bullen have all earned contract extensions of their own this year.
On Monday, Melbourne announced it had delisted Marty Hore and Kye Declase.
Hore played 14 games for the Demons in 2019 but missed the side’s next two seasons through injury.
Declase joined Melbourne via this year’s mid-season draft but did not break into the senior side.
“We thank both Marty and Kye for their dedication and commitment to the club,” Lamb said.
“This is always a difficult time for everyone involved, and we would like to wish both players all the best for their future endeavours.”
The club delisted Austin Bradtke, Jay Lockhart and Aaron Nietschke in the days that followed its 74-point grand final win.
Originally published as AFL 2021: Premiership defender Michael Hibberd signs contract extension
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