Michael Hurley

Player Stats

Biography

Michael Hurley (born 1 June 1990) is an Australian rules footballer for the Essendon Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). A key position utility, 1.93m (6 ft 4 in) tall and weighing 92 kilograms (200 lb), Hurley predominately played in the forward and backline in his AFL career to date.

A good junior cricketer and footballer, Hurley entered top-level football early, joining the TAC Cup competition for the Northern Knights.[1] His accomplishments as a junior included selection as full-back in the All-Australian TAC Cup Team of the Year sides in 2007 and 2008. Despite concerns about his gall bladder—consequently removed in January—and a lack of pace, Hurley was selected with Essendon's first pick, and fifth overall, in the 2008 AFL Draft.

Hurley made his AFL debut in 2009, winning the AFL Rising Star nomination in round 20, but played only nine regular season matches because of a quad strain and broken wrist. In round 22, nine matches into his career, Hurley scored four goals, in a match-winning performance against Hawthorn. In the following week, former Brisbane Lions coach Leigh Matthews said, "Very few young talls have the physical maturity to match it with their older and stronger opponents, which is why the brilliant early form of young Bomber Michael Hurley is quite amazing."

As of season 2010, Hurley has inherited the No.18 jumper left vacant by the retired Matthew Lloyd.

On the 22nd March 2012, Michael Hurley re-committed to the Essendon Football club until 2017 after agreeing to a new 5-year deal.