Title: “Tom Mitchell’s Rollercoaster Journey: From Stressful Trade to Grand Final Glory”
Tom Mitchell may have been on vacation, but there was no time for relaxation. Last October, he anxiously checked his phone for trade updates, worried that his move to Collingwood might not happen.
While basking in the 29-degree Miami sun, the moment of truth arrived as a photoshopped image of him in black and white stripes finally appeared. Mitchell recalled that night in Miami when his trade deal went down to the wire.
“I remember the day; it was actually a night, and I was in Miami in America with a couple of good friends and we were watching the last moments of the trade period, and my trade almost didn’t get done. I think I was the last trade of the trade period, and there was about one minute left,” he said. “I remember I was with my mates, and when the trade went through, we all just jumped on each other. I was obviously on the other side of the world, but my phone blew up, and I was just pumped to start a new journey and a new chapter. Twelve months later, it was the best thing I ever did.”
Upon returning to Australia, Mitchell immediately got to work, surprised by the number of players already back on the training track during the offseason.
“I remember coming in throughout the offseason; there were so many guys already in training,” he recalled. “We just started chatting and thought it’d be a good idea to start training together as well. Those weekly sessions pretty much started straight away as soon as I touched back in Australia, and more and more guys jumped on. A couple of sessions there, we pretty much had the whole squad training together in the offseason, which just doesn’t happen, so it was pretty awesome to see everyone’s commitment.”
Despite his accolades as a Brownlow medallist and multiple Best and Fairest winner, Mitchell understood he had a more specific role to play at Collingwood.
“I’ve had years at other clubs where I’ve been at the top of my game and been one of the best players in the competition, but my job here was very different,” he said. “I fully bought into that and tried to support all the other guys in the midfield as best as I could with my strengths. I’m very pleased to say that I did that.”
He took pride in his role on Grand Final day, particularly excelling in contested ball winning.
“It’s always nice to hear that my teammates thought that because at the end of the day, that’s who you’re playing for. You want them to look at you and trust you, and vice versa,” he said. “I’m very proud of that.”
Tom Mitchell’s achievements in 2023 include leading in various statistical categories and playing in every game during the season.
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