Michael Hibberd

Early life

Originally from the small town of Somerville on the Mornington Peninsula, Hibberd played with the Dandenong Stingrays in the TAC Cup in 2008, where he managed to play only half the season due to a groin injury. He finished fifth in the best and fairest count and was awarded the Dandenong Stingrays coaches award. After being overlooked in the 2008 AFL draft, he joined the Frankston Football Club in the Victorian Football League (VFL). His first year at Frankston saw him finish fifth in the best and fairest and claim the best first year player award. In his second year at the club, his season was rewarded with the senior best and fairest award and the Fothergill-Round Medal as the VFL's most promising young player.

2011–2012: Early career

Hibberd was drafted by the Essendon Football Club with their only selection and fourth overall in the 2011 pre-season draft. He made his debut in the 139-point win against Gold Coast at Etihad Stadium round six. He was omitted the next week for the match against West Coast, before returning in round eight in the thirty-six point win against Brisbane at the Gabba, where he recorded twenty-two disposals and was praised by then-Essendon coach, James Hird. Playing the next seven matches, he missed the round seventeen match against Adelaide at AAMI Stadium due to a hamstring injury. He ultimately missed the remainder of the season after he was suspended by the club due to an assault charge and finished with seven matches in his debut season.

After playing the first five matches for the 2012 season, he suffered a hamstring injury during the first quarter of the Anzac Day clash against Collingwood in round five, which forced him to miss six weeks of football. He made his return from injury through the Victorian Football League (VFL), playing for Essendon's affiliate team, Bendigo. After playing two matches in the VFL, he returned to the AFL side for the twenty-four point win against Fremantle at Patersons Stadium in round thirteen. He played the next three matches before injuring his quad in the fifty point win against Port Adelaide at AAMI Stadium in round sixteen. He missed three weeks due to the injury and returned to the side for the twenty-four point loss against North Melbourne at Etihad Stadium in round twenty. He played the remainder of the season, managing thirteen matches for the year and was rewarded with the club rising star award as the best young player. At the end of the year he changed guernsey numbers from 43 to 1.

2013–2015: Emergence as a half-back flanker

The 2013 season saw Hibberd play every match of the year for the first time in his career. His performances during the season was described by The Age journalist, Rohan Connolly, as "the best football of his career" and he was named in Connolly's mid-season All-Australian team. His running off of half-back saw him compared to six time All-Australian, Corey Enright. After the announcement of the forty man squad for the 2013 All-Australian team, he was considered unlucky to miss out on selection by AFL Media journalist, Nick Bowen, and The Age journalist and former player, Matthew Lloyd. His improved season saw him finish fourth in the clubs best and fairest count.

Despite a hamstring injury during the 2014 NAB Challenge, Hibberd played the first fourteen matches of the year, before he was forced to miss the round sixteen match against Port Adelaide at the Adelaide Oval due to an ankle injury. He returned to the side two weeks later for the seven point win against the Western Bulldogs at Etihad Stadium in round eighteen, before succumbing to a hamstring injury the next week and missed two weeks. He returned from injury in the three point win against West Coast at Etihad Stadium in round twenty-one, where he was named the best player for Essendon by The Age and AFL Media. He played the remainder of the season, including his first final in the twelve point loss against North Melbourne at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in the second elimination final. His form in the first half of the year before his injuries was praised within the industry, with Herald Sun journalist, Sam Landsberger, claiming he was in All-Australian form and he signed a three-year contract with the club, tying him to the club until the end of the 2017 season. He played nineteen matches for the season and finished fourth in the best and fairest count for the second consecutive season.

Hibberd played every match for the 2015 season apart from the final round match against Collingwood due to a knee injury. After strong seasons in 2013 and 2014, he had a dip in form after spending more time in the midfield. Despite a drop in form, he managed a top-ten finish in the best and fairest, placing eighth and he was named in Essendon's best players six times during the season by AFL Media.

2016–present: Suspension and move to Melbourne

Hibberd, along with 33 other Essendon players, was found guilty of using a banned performance-enhancing substance, thymosin beta-4, as part of Essendon's sports supplements program during the 2012 season. He and his teammates were initially found not guilty in March 2015 by the AFL Anti-Doping Tribunal, but a guilty verdict was returned in January 2016 after an appeal by the World Anti-Doping Agency. He was suspended for two years which, with backdating, ended in November 2016; as a result, he served approximately fourteen months of his suspension and missed the entire 2016 season. After speculation surrounding whether he would return to Essendon once his suspension was finished, he confirmed in August that he wanted to be traded to another club for a "fresh start" despite being contracted to Essendon until the end of 2017 and he nominated Melbourne as his preferred destination in September. He was officially traded to Melbourne in October.

Assault charge

In August 2011, Hibbered was charged with assault after he punched and knocked a man out in Mornington on 31 July. He pleaded guilty to the charges in September and escaped conviction, but received a $2500 fine.

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