Recruit’s hot form a danger for Geelong
HAWTHORN recruit Tom Mitchell is on track to win the club’s best and fairest by a runaway margin after opening up a wide gap on teammates in coaches’ voting.
Mitchell has polled 54 votes in a remarkable first season at Waverley, more than double the next best, veteran Shaun Burgoyne (23).
Burgoyne, 34, is headed towards back to back top-three finishes in the Peter Crimmins Medal, guaranteeing the evergreen playmaker the option to play on next season.
Retiring champion Luke Hodge is in seventh-place in the voting in his 16th and final season. Rising Star favourite Ryan Burton is third.
Mitchell’s result is an emphatic endorsement of the move to snare the clearance king in last year’s trade period in exchange from Sydney for the No.16 draft pick.
The AFL’s top possession winner with an average 36 disposals a game has stormed into third-favourite for the Brownlow Medal ($13) at TAB.
While Hawthorn’s other big-name recruits Jaeger O’Meara and Tyrone Vickery have struggled with form and fitness, Mitchell, 24, has shot clear as the trade of the year.
It can also be revealed the former Swan signed a five-year deal, tying him to Hawthorn until 2021.
And he is in red-hot form going into Saturday’s blockbuster against Geelong and Brownlow favourite Patrick Dangerfield and superstar captain Joel Selwood at the MCG.
The centre square showdown will be a fascinating subplot as Hawthorn tries to remain in finals contention, currently six points outside the eight in 13th spot.
The Hawks will be out to claim a big scalp in Hodge’s 300th match on Saturday after receiving an 86-point hammering from the Cats in Round 4.
Hodge said Mitchell’s form had gone to another level in the past month as his understanding of Alastair Clarkson’s system and connection with teammates improved.