Tom Mitchell couldn't sit still on deadline day last October. With the clocking ticking down the Brownlow medallist was pacing around his hotel room in Miami, waiting for a deal to be struck between Hawthorn and Collingwood. It took until the closing minutes of the Trade Period for that to happen, but now six months on, Mitchell has a new lease on life.
Despite winning three Peter Crimmins Medals and two All-Australian blazers in five full seasons at Waverley Park, the 29-year-old was squeezed out of Hawthorn's midfield last year and not considered part of the rebuild under Sam Mitchell.
Collingwood general manager of football Graham Wright negotiated a last-minute deal with the Hawks to secure the inside midfielder in a three-way trade that sent Ollie Henry to Geelong and Cooper Stephens to Hawthorn, essentially costing the Magpies two third-round picks – No.41 and No.50 – for Mitchell.
Since returning from an off-season trip to the United States and arriving at the AIA Centre in November, Mitchell has blown people away inside Collingwood with his professionalism, leadership and ability to improve one of the Magpies' glaring weaknesses in 2022.
Mitchell appeared at a crossroads at the end of last season, but after producing another telling performance in Sunday's win over St Kilda at Adelaide Oval – 28 disposals, 12 contested possessions, six clearances, six tackles and a goal – he is proving to be a shrewd piece of list management by a team in premiership contention.
"I'm absolutely loving it. I feel rejuvenated. I feel happy," Mitchell told AFL.com.au after the six-point win over St Kilda on Sunday night.
"I feel like 'Fly' (coach Craig McRae) has really backed me in and so have all the boys. They just want me to play to my strengths and go to work on the inside.
"I guess it's nothing magic, it's just getting to work on where I can add value to the team. For me, that starts with my tackling, my pressure and hunting the ball, winning it on the inside and feeding it out. Hopefully I'm complementing the guys around me and making them better players.
"I pride myself on bringing some strong leadership to the group, having been around for over 10 years now, working alongside 'Pendles' (Scott Pendlebury) and Steele (Sidebottom) to really bring the spirit to the group and help guys preparing to make sure we're good to go on game day."
Last year was challenging for Mitchell, but it didn't tarnish his memories at Hawthorn. He achieved plenty of success across 106 games in brown and gold and still watches the progress of Jai Newcombe and Will Day with pride from afar.
"There is two ways to look at it: If last year didn't pan out the way it did, I probably wouldn't have ended up at Collingwood. I'm grateful for my entire time at Hawthorn. I loved my time there," Mitchell said.
"Last year my role was different, but having said that I really enjoyed working with guys like Jai Newcombe and Will Day. Seeing those guys grow and flourish now, as a senior player, you get rewards seeing them grow. Similar to the young guys here, I take a lot of pride in seeing others grow and take their game to another level. I only have fond memories and good memories of my time at Hawthorn."
Collingwood has produced only two Brownlow Medal winners since Peter Moore won the game's most prestigious individual accolade in 1979 – Nathan Buckley in 2003 and Dane Swan in 2011 – but might have a 10th recipient by the end of the season if Nick Daicos maintains the have-to-see-it-to-believe-it tempo he has set across the first five rounds.
Mitchell took Charlie home in 2018 and has worked closely with the 20-year-old since arriving at the club at the end of October, instantly admiring the attention to detail and appetite for more from a player who has touched the ball more than anyone else in 2023, averaging 36 disposals at 82.8 per cent efficiency, 618.8 metres gained, eight score involvements and five inside 50s across the first five rounds.
"It is unbelievable what he's doing. I love working alongside him and his brother. They are so diligent and finding ways to get better. In their off time they are always doing extra things, so it's no wonder they are performing the way they are," he said after Daicos amassed a career-high 42 touches against the Saints on Sunday.
"Nick has unbelievable work ethic. It's as if he's been playing for 10 years – he just gets it – he just knows how to look after his body, diet, recovery, on his off day he is in there, which is what is separating him at the moment. We are rapt that he is playing well."
Mitchell played in only two losing finals at Hawthorn – both in 2018 – and in eight during his 65-game stint at Sydney, including the 2016 Grand Final loss to the Western Bulldogs. He was at the club when the Swans won the flag in 2012 and was an emergency in the 2014 decider.
The Carey Grammar product knows Collingwood has made a great start to 2023, building on what it did in Craig McRae's first season in charge, but he isn't contemplating the possibility of finally winning the ultimate prize just yet.
"There is a long way to go," he said. "But 4-1 is a good start. If we looked at the fixture at the start of the year, we would take 4-1. We've faced quality opposition, St Kilda again today are a quality team. We've started the year well. 'Fly' is massive on sticking to our processes. We'll do that again this week and prepare for Anzac Day."
For a long time, Mitchell has been defined by numbers – disposals, clearances and contested possessions. Only Harry Sheezel has a better career average than Mitchell's 29.3 touches per game, but the young Roo has played only five games compared to 176.
If Mitchell can continue to deliver, it will go a long way to helping Collingwood win a 16th premiership in 2023. And that would complete a pretty stunning CV.
