Steven Michael Michaels (born 13 January 1987) is an Australian professional

rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 112 ...

footballer who played in the 2000s and 2010s. He's played in the National Rugby League (NRL) and the

Super League The Super League (officially known as the Betfred Super League due to sponsorship from Betfred and legally known as Super League Europe), is the top-level of the British rugby league system. At present the league consists of twelve teams, of wh ...

. His usual position was as a but he also played . Michaels previously played for

Hull FC Hull Football Club, commonly referred to as Hull or Hull F.C., is a professional rugby league football club established in 1865 and based in West Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England. The club plays in the Super League competition and wer ...

, the Brisbane Broncos, and the Gold Coast Titans.

Background

Son of Ralph Michaels, a centre for

Brisbane Norths The Northern Suburbs Devils, or North Brisbane Devils, or often simply referred to as Norths for short, are a rugby league club representing the northern suburbs of Brisbane, Australia. The team colours are sky blue, navy blue and gold. They pl ...

in the 1970s, Steve Michaels played for the Australian Schoolboys team in 2004 while attending Palm Beach Currumbin Secondary High School.

Professional playing career

Brisbane Broncos

In 2006, he broke into first grade, but then fractured his ankle and had to spend over three months on the sideline. He returned to play in the Queensland Cup, then played in the State League decider. As 2006 NRL Premiers, the Brisbane Broncos travelled to Britain to face 2006

champions, St. Helens in the

2007 World Club Challenge The 2007 Carnegie World Club Challenge was played between Super League XI champions, St. Helens and 2006 National Rugby League premiers, the Brisbane Broncos. It was a replay of the 2001 World Club Challenge, and both clubs' fifth WCC appearanc ...

. Michaels played on the wing in the Broncos' 14–18 loss. Michaels played in every minute of every game for the 2007 season, and his good form was rewarded when he was selected to play in the

Prime Minister's XIII Prime Minister's XIII, or sometimes informally referred to as the PM's XIII, is the name of a representative rugby league team, comprising Australian players from National Rugby League clubs that did not qualify for the NRL Finals, or whose tea ...

against

Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea (abbreviated PNG; , ; tpi, Papua Niugini; ho, Papua Niu Gini), officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea ( tpi, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niugini; ho, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niu Gini), is a country i ...

at the end of the season. But Michaels pulled out of the game when he had, what was suspected to be pneumonia. He was hoping to gain a slot in the s for

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

and did so, but in

round 7 Round or rounds may refer to: Mathematics and science * The contour of a closed curve or surface with no sharp corners, such as an ellipse, circle, rounded rectangle, cant, or sphere * Rounding, the shortening of a number to reduce the numbe ...

suffered a season-ending knee injury. He made his return in round one of the

2009 NRL season The 2009 NRL season was the 102nd season of professional rugby league football club competition in Australia, and the twelfth run by the National Rugby League. For the third consecutive year, sixteen teams competed for the 2009 Telstra Premiership ...

. He partners with Antonio Winterstein on the left flank. In April 2009, he was named in the preliminary 25 man squad to represent

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

in the opening State of Origin match for 2009.

Gold Coast Titans

In May 2010, Michaels was released from the Brisbane Broncos so he could join local rivals, the Gold Coast Titans on a deal until 2012. In his first year at the Gold Coast, Michaels was part of the Gold Coast side which reached the 2010 preliminary final against the Sydney Roosters but were defeated 32–6 at Suncorp Stadium. The following year, Michaels played 23 games and scored 9 tries as the Gold Coast finished last on the table and claimed the wooden spoon. On 5 September 2014, Michaels signed with Hull F.C. on a one-year deal starting from 2015. Michaels was named in an ongoing investigation into players and ex-players supplying cocaine.

Hull F.C.

In 2015, Michaels joined English side Hull F.C. He played in the 2016 Challenge Cup Final victory over the Warrington Wolves at

Wembley Stadium Wembley Stadium (branded as Wembley Stadium connected by EE for sponsorship reasons) is a football stadium in Wembley, London. It opened in 2007 on the site of the Wembley Stadium (1923), original Wembley Stadium, which was demolished from 200 ...

. He played with the club until the end of the 2017 season before retiring.

Statistics

(* denotes season still competing)

References

External links

Hull FC profile
*
Steve Michaels
at the Gold Coast Titans official website.''
SL profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Michaels, Steve 1987 births Living people Australian rugby league players Australian expatriate sportspeople in England Brisbane Broncos players Burleigh Bears players Gold Coast Titans players Prime Minister's XIII players Rugby league centres Rugby league players from the Gold Coast, Queensland Rugby league wingers