Max Michalanney has become Adelaide’s first ever father-son selection in a National Draft after officially joining the Crows on Monday night.
Adelaide matched a bid by Sydney on Michalanney at Pick 17 to secure the 18-year-old on the opening night of the draft.
The 191cm defender was part of Adelaide’s Next Generation and Father Son Academy this year and played three League games for Norwood including the semi and preliminary finals.
He was named in the Under-18 All-Australian Team after impressing in the national championships which included being named SA’s best player against the Allies and Victoria Country.
Showcasing reach, speed and defensive craft against his opponents, Michalanney averaged 13 disposals and five tackles per game throughout the championships.
His father Jim played 211 games and in four premierships with Norwood between 1974 and 1986, making him eligible to be drafted by the Crows under the AFL’s father-son rule.
Adelaide used Picks 46, 56 and 59 to secure Michalanney and will take Picks 69 and 79 into the second night of the draft on Tuesday.
“We are obviously thrilled to get Max back into to the Club, our coaches know him well, they’ve watched plenty of his vision and have seen him at training,” Adelaide National Recruiting Manager Hamish Ogilvie said.
“He’s an all-round defender who can play on different types of opponents which will add great flexibility to our squad.
“He’s also a very good athlete with strong agility, at a touch over 190cm to be able to play effectively on smaller opponents is testament to that.
“We weren’t surprised the bid came when it did and in fairness, it reflects where we had him in our talent order.
“We also made regular calls to other clubs to try to improve our position in the first round and we will continue to do that in the next 24 hours as we prepare for the second night of the draft.”
Ogilvie said the way the draft played out had reinforced the importance of the list management team’s decision to trade out Pick 23 during the recent trade period.
“It was a good strategic move which enabled us to match the bid and secure Max without losing that second round pick because we got a future selection in return, and it provides us with greater flexibility moving forward.”
Max Michalanney
Height: 191cm
Weight: 78kg
DOB: 26/2/2004
Club: Norwood (SANFL)
