Michael Byrne
Hawthorn, Melbourne and Sydney
AFL career
167 games150 goals
- Debut
- R20 1977 v STK13 Aug 1977
- Most recent
- R11 1989 v CAR9 June 1989
Stats
1989 | SYD | 2 | 1.0 | 3.5 | 4.5 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 14 |
1988 | SYD | 8 | 4.6 | 3.9 | 8.5 | 2.3 | 0.5 | 1.9 | 0.5 | 0.4 | 0.5 | 34 |
1987 | SYD | 11 | 3.7 | 5.6 | 9.4 | 1.8 | 1.2 | 1.4 | 1.2 | 0.8 | 0.6 | 42 |
1986 | HAW | 11 | 6.8 | 4.2 | 11.0 | 3.9 | 0.9 | 1.8 | - | 1.5 | 0.3 | - |
1985 | HAW | 20 | 7.2 | 4.4 | 11.5 | 4.0 | 1.6 | 1.9 | - | 0.6 | 1.0 | - |
1984 | HAW | 25 | 8.8 | 6.2 | 15.0 | 5.3 | 1.3 | 1.7 | - | 0.5 | 0.8 | - |
1983 | HAW | 12 | 4.3 | 5.6 | 9.9 | 3.0 | 0.9 | 2.3 | - | 0.7 | 0.3 | - |
1982 | MEL | 1 | 2.0 | 1.0 | 3.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | - | 0.0 | 0.0 | - |
1982 | HAW | 22 | 6.6 | 5.5 | 12.2 | 3.8 | 1.6 | 2.2 | - | 2.1 | 0.9 | - |
1981 | MEL | 10 | 5.8 | 3.0 | 8.8 | 2.2 | 0.9 | 1.3 | - | 0.2 | 0.1 | - |
1980 | MEL | 22 | 6.9 | 7.5 | 14.4 | 4.5 | 1.4 | 2.5 | - | 1.0 | 0.8 | - |
1979 | MEL | 12 | 5.7 | 5.1 | 10.8 | 3.5 | 1.3 | 1.7 | - | 0.8 | 0.8 | - |
1978 | MEL | 8 | 5.0 | 1.6 | 6.6 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 1.1 | - | 0.5 | 0.6 | - |
1977 | MEL | 3 | 7.7 | 3.3 | 11.0 | 4.7 | 1.7 | 3.3 | - | 1.3 | 0.7 | - |
Bio
Recruited from North Shore in Sydney, Michael "Mick the Kick" Byrne was a pioneering New South Wales junior in the VFL who developed into a unique ruck-forward threat. After five seasons with Melbourne where he struggled to consistently satisfy coach Ron Barassi, his career took a dramatic turn early in 1982. Following a fallout with Barassi, Byrne was cleared to Hawthorn in a sudden mid-week transfer and made an immediate statement. In his debut for the Hawks just days later, he booted eight straight goals against Fitzroy—kicking more majors on his own than the entire Melbourne team managed that same afternoon.
At Hawthorn, Byrne became a key figure in a golden era, using his 200cm frame and elite kicking skills to punish opposition teams. He played a crucial role in the 1983 premiership victory, drifting forward to kick three goals in the Grand Final demolition of Essendon. While capable of brilliance, he could also be erratic, famously holding the club record for most behinds in a game without a goal after kicking 0.8 against his old side. Salary cap pressures eventually saw him transfer to the Sydney Swans to finish his playing career, after which his technical expertise saw him become a world-renowned kicking coach in international rugby union.
Profile
- Born
- 02 Dec 1958 (age 67y 323d)
- Height
- 200 cm
- Weight
- 86 kg
Teams
Honours
- Premiership1983
- Brownlow Medal
- Top 10
- 1984
Bio
1 revisionRecruited from North Shore in Sydney, Michael "Mick the Kick" Byrne was a pioneering New South Wales junior in the VFL who developed into a unique ruck-forward threat. After five seasons with Melbourne where he struggled to consistently satisfy coach Ron Barassi, his career took a dramatic turn early in 1982. Following a fallout with Barassi, Byrne was cleared to Hawthorn in a sudden mid-week transfer and made an immediate statement. In his debut for the Hawks just days later, he booted eight straight goals against Fitzroy—kicking more majors on his own than the entire Melbourne team managed that same afternoon.
At Hawthorn, Byrne became a key figure in a golden era, using his 200cm frame and elite kicking skills to punish opposition teams. He played a crucial role in the 1983 premiership victory, drifting forward to kick three goals in the Grand Final demolition of Essendon. While capable of brilliance, he could also be erratic, famously holding the club record for most behinds in a game without a goal after kicking 0.8 against his old side. Salary cap pressures eventually saw him transfer to the Sydney Swans to finish his playing career, after which his technical expertise saw him become a world-renowned kicking coach in international rugby union.