BLACK SOCIAL HISTORY
Michael Walters (born 7 January 1991) is an Australian rules footballer for the Fremantle Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL).
Junior career
A highly skilled player who mainly plays as a midfielder or forward,[1] Walters was selected by Fremantle with the 53rd pick in the 2008 AFL Draft. He had made his senior debut for Swan Districts in the West Australian Football League in 2008, playing 2 matches.[2] Nicknamed Son-son, he lived on the same street in Midvale as his former Swan Districts teammates and fellow 2008 AFL draftees Nic Naitanui and Chris Yarran.[3] Walters' father Mike played for Central District in the South Australian National Football League.[4]
In 2007 he represented Western Australia at the National Under 16 Championships and won the Kevin Sheehan Medal (shared with Tom Scully) as the best player in the championships, after kicking 10 goals in his three games.[5][6] He was a member of the 2007-08 AIS/AFL Academy squad[7] and in 2008 represented Western Australia at the 2008 AFL National Under 18 Championships and was named in the All-Australian Team.[8][9]
AFL career
Walters made his AFL debut for Fremantle in Round 11 of the 2009 AFL season at Football Park against Port Adelaide, after Hayden Ballantyne was a late withdrawal due to injury. He kicked a goal in debut match, minutes before fellow debutant and Swan Districts teammate Clancee Pearce also kicked a goal.[10]
Prior to the start of the 2012 AFL season, Walters was suspended from training with Fremantle and sent back to train and play for Swan Districts due to a poor fitness level and being overweight.[11][12] He improved his fitness and performed well for Swans, and was accepted back at Fremantle in April[13] and returned to the AFL in July, in round 16 against Melbourne. He played in every game after returning, kicking 22 goals from 10 games.[14][15] In late September 2012 Walters was re-signed for a further two years, until the end of the 2014 season.[16]
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