AFL pays tribute to South Fremantle great Stephen Michael with Sir Doug Nicholls Round honour

He’s regarded as the best WA player never to have played in the VFL or AFL, but Indigenous football great Stephen Michael will be celebrated across the country this year after being unveiled as the honouree for Sir Doug Nicholls Round.

Speaking under a South Fremantle Football Club mural featuring his own image, alongside another Bulldogs great Maurice Rioli, Michael said he was “no hero” but was thrilled to accept the honour.

“I’m just a normal guy but I really appreciated the time and effort people give me with these accolades,” Michael said.

“I hope I can be a good mentor for kids coming through in the next 12 months.”

Michael represented WA 17 times among a long list of honours but never had the opportunity to play in an Indigenous All Stars team.

He will be an envious onlooker on Saturday at 4.30pm when the Indigenous All Stars are revived for the first time in a decade in a pre-season game against Fremantle at Optus Stadium, with bouncedown at 4.30pm.

“It is a great concept what they are doing for the Indigenous players. We are recognised and we are recognised for the talent that we have got. This puts us on show for how we can do it,” he said.

The number of Indigenous players on AFL lists has fallen to just 63 ahead of the 2025 season, down from an all-time high of 86 in 2020.

Michael said the fall in numbers was a concern.

“At the end of the day, we are lacking a lot of Indigenous players coming through the AFL and WAFL,” he said.

“Maybe we expect too much of Indigenous players or even players in general. The pressure is so great.

“I love seeing the guys come through, a different generation.”

South Fremantle premiership player Michael is a dual Sandover medallist, All-Australian captain and five-time Bulldogs best and fairest. He played 243 games and kicked 231 goals from 1975 to 1985.

The 68-year-old is a member of the Australian Football and West Australian Football Hall of Fame and while he made his name as a mobile, pack splitting ruck he also played at centre half forward and in 2005 was named in that position in the indigenous Team of the Century.

Michael, who was born in Wagin and grew up in the Wheatbelt town of Kojonup before joining the Bulldogs, follows other WA players to be honourees of the Sir Doug Nicholls Round, which will be held in rounds 10 and 11, including Bill Dempsey, Syd Jackson and Graham “Polly “ Farmer.

“Polly is the greatest player I have ever seen and I can’t compare anyone else or myself with Polly,” Michael said.

“I never played with him, but I met him and played against his two sons (Brett and Dean) and that guy is a legend.”

In retirement he has helped to set up the Stephen Michael Foundation, a community and school-based programs focus on inspiring vulnerable kids to develop self-confidence, embrace positive behaviours and invest in their future.

The AFL’s head of inclusion and social policy Tanya Hosch described Michael as “one of the best footballers the country has ever seen”.

“His stats were amazing but it was how Stephen played that set him apart. He could do it all and he did it all,” she said from South Fremantle HQ at Fremantle Oval.

“He jumped over packs to take big marks, he dominated in the ruck … and he had pace around the ground to burn off most players and his ball handling skills ranked alongside any small player.

“He was tough, fast and fierce and it was best for your safety to get out of his way when he was coming through and he was a huge hero to a whole generation of West Australian kids.”

Hosch said the AFL was expecting a crowd of at least 30,000 on Saturday and the league was “open” to the All Stars game becoming a regular feature of the pre-season in Perth.

“We would love to see it a regular part of the fixture. The frequency of that hasn’t been decided but it is definitely on the table,” Hosch said.

“Our chairman Richard Goyder made it clear that he wanted it to be here (in Perth) every time it is played.

“We know it is really important to Aboriginal and Torrest Strait Islander people to see a team with all Indigenous Stars out there.”