Mitchell ready to move on
Brownlow medallist Sam Mitchell has announced that he will hang up the boots at the end of the 2017 season, saying his desire to coach has superseded his desire to play.
Mitchell will continue to work at West Coast in a coaching capacity, a move that was foreshadowed when he was sensationally traded from Hawthorn at the end of last year.
The 34-year-old will retire as one of the most decorated midfielders of the modern era, with his pinpoint kick his defining trademark.
“It’s no great surprise, but it’s time for me to hang up the little size nines at the end of the season,” Mitchell said yesterday.
“I’m hugely passionate to get to work every day, how I can help young players, but my passion has shifted to my coaching.
“My brain is fast enough, but soon enough my body won’t be. I’m really happy with the decision.”
Mitchell acknowledged his history with Hawthorn but said his future was with the Eagles and that he was excited to grow in his new role under the stewardship of West Coast coach Adam Simpson.
“I’m the first-year rookie as far as coaching goes. I’ve got plenty to learn,” Mitchell said.
“When you can have an influence on people is hugely exciting. I can’t wait for that to be my full-time role.”
Simpson said Mitchell’s brain was what “set him apart”.
“I think you’ve got to look at what Sam has achieved. Multiple premierships, Brownlow, All-Australian. The accolades are there,” Simpson said.
“We’re a very small part of his career but we’re proud to have him at our football club.”
Mitchell, who has played 323 AFL games after being picked in the 2001 draft, captained Hawthorn to its first premiership under Alastair Clarkson in 2008 and was a key cog in the club’s three successive flags from 2013 to 2015.
He is a five-time best and fairest winner at Hawthorn and three times he has been named an All-Australian (2011, 2013 and 2015).
And last year Mitchell and Richmond skipper Trent Cotchin were retrospectively awarded the 2012 Brownlow Medal, after Essendon midfielder Jobe Watson was stripped of the game’s highest individual honour because of the club’s supplements program.