Michael Gibson

A passionate homegrown Queenslander who played 55 AFL games with Fitzroy and the Brisbane Bears, he was a dual AFLQ premiership player and a much-decorated Queensland representative. But moreover he was simply a great contributor to the game at levels who thrived on simply having an involvement. An All-Australian junior and winner of the 1982 Norm Crimmins Medal, originally from Coorparoo, he played three AFL games with Fitzroy and won the Reserves B&F in 1985 either side of twin premierships with the ‘Roos in ’84 and ’86.

An ever-courageous running defender, he was recruited by the Brisbane Bears from the local competition in ’87 to begin the second phase of his AFL career, playing 52 games from 1987-91. Always a proud member of the State side, he played a total of 18 games for Queensland between his debut against St.Kilda in 1984, which was followed by the Escort Shield win of the same year, and the ’95 clash with WA at the Gabba. Also played in Queensland’s 1991 win over Victoria at the Gabba and the ’92 State of Origin clash with NSW in Sydney.

Made history in Round 2, 1990, when he was fined $1000 for shaking a goalpost in the Bears’ Princes Park clash with Fitzroy, and was a member of the Bears side that played the first official AFL game at the Gabba against Geelong in ’91. Missed the ’91 Reserves Premiership after being described by coach Rodney Eade as his side’s best player over the course of the year.

He returned to Coorparoo as player-coach in 1992-93, tasted premiership success with Wanderers in Darwin in the 1993-94 summer season, and was a playing assistant-coach at Mt.Gravatt in 1994-95-96, losing the ’96 grand final to West Brisbane. Spent 1997-98-99 as player-coach of Palm Beach Currumbin, 2000-01 in a similar role at Springwood, and after finally hanging up the boots and taking a break from the game answered a mid-season ‘SOS’ to take charge as senior coach at Mt.Gravatt in mid-2003, when they lost the grand final to Morningside.

Retained that job in 2004-05 before coaching the Morningside U18s to a flag in 2006 and taking charge of the Coorparoo Kings in 2007-08.