5. Sam Mitchell

[philhawk]

Looks like i've got the job for Sammy M for us this season. Hopefully others will help out! :o :D

[philhawk]

http://hawthornfc.com.au/TheClub/Players/PlayerProfile/tabid/8483/playerId/14278/teamId/32/typeId/2/Default.aspx

http://img220.imageshack.us/img220/2958/013694afxp5.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

About
Was enjoying a super 2005 until he injured his foot in round 15 and missed the rest of the year. Fifth in the best and fairest despite missing eight games and was voted best clubman. An old-style footballer who wins plenty of possessions in traffic, and is especially damaging at centre bounces and other stoppages around the ground. Named vice-captain last December and has vowed to set an example for the club's new players on and off the field.
Records
Brownlow Medal
2005 votes 9
2004 votes 2
2003 votes 9; career votes 21

AFL record
2002-2005: Hawthorn - 64 games, 13 goals

Draft history
2001 National AFL Draft 3rd round selection (Hawthorn) No. 36 overall traded by Fremantle for Trent Croad and Luke McPharlin

Awards Honours
VFL
JJ Liston Trophy 2002

Hawthorn
Best clubman 2005
Most consistent 2004
Most Determined 2003
Most determined player 2002
Box Hill Hawks - best & fairest 2002
Box Hill Hawks - runner up best & fairest 2001
Box Hill Hawks - Best first year player 2001

Premierships
VFL 2001 (Box Hill

TAC Cup
Eastern Ranges - best & fairest 1999, 2000

AFL
National AFL Rising Star 2003

[randall boner]

gunn:thumbsu:

[philhawk]

http://www.theage.com.au/realfooty/news/afl/mitchell-hodge-in-tussle-for-captaincy/2007/03/22/1174153255766.html

Mitchell, Hodge in tussle for captaincy

Samantha Lane
March 23, 2007

LUKE Hodge or Sam Mitchell could have the chance to stake their claim as Richie Vandenberg's successor during what could be an eight-week lay-off for Hawthorn's injured skipper.

Vandenberg revealed yesterday that while he is hoping to be fully fit by round three, his recurring hamstring injury, in the worst case, could sideline him for more than a quarter of the season.

Mitchell, the sole vice-captain last year, and Hodge, who was promoted to the same rank after the Hawks' most recent annual meeting, alternated as skipper during Vandenberg's absence in the pre-season games.

The 30-year-old midfielder played only 22 minutes of a practice match last weekend before leaving the field with what coach Alastair Clarkson first described as "lower back tightness, which was just referred pain down into his hamstring".

Scans later revealed Vandenberg had re-injured the right hamstring he tore just before the NAB Cup, a setback that enabled him to play less than a quarter of football during his club's pre-season campaign.

"Time frame-wise, I don't exactly know, but to be honest, it'll be somewhere in the vicinity of four to eight weeks, depending on how the body conditions … the likelihood is that it will be somewhere in between," Vandenberg said yesterday.

"Because of missing four weeks, and now missing another two (before round one), you've lost six weeks of conditioning.

"At best, we're probably looking at about round three or round four; at worst, it's probably round five, round six. But it's really hard to put a time on it. We really can't tell.

"It's very important now with the way the game's changed and the level of intensity that you strip it back to the bare metal, effectively, and give yourself time to rehab the leg. Then, once that's healed, you have to build up and be able to get yourself back to a certain level of intensity, which is something that I haven't done for quite a while.

"I need to prove it to not only myself, but also to the club, that my leg will stand up to the rigours of the game. There's no point going out and playing if you're just going to do it again. So we'll be conservative with it, and hopefully make sure that it doesn't happen again."

Vandenberg would not say whether he favoured only one of his deputies assuming the captaincy role on match day for the full period of his absence.

"I'd say it will be a combination of the coaches and the leadership group (that decides).

"Whether we decide to choose one over the other, no decision has been made," he said.

"I'd like to sit down and just canvass the opinions and ideas of the entire leadership group, to be honest, before we see what the pros and cons of going either way are before I really make too much comment on it."

[noosa hawk mad]

Hodgey will Captain as he has that aggression & he loves it tough :thumbsu Mitchell is the best clearance player in afl and would lead by example.But if Hodgey got hit in the nut's he would go NUTS :) Protect your team mates and your family Jewels.My mum taught S Michell and Sammy had a real crush on my mum,she tells me this last week couldn't believe it she knows how much i love the Hawkers :thumbsu: CHEERS

[philhawk]

http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/footy/common/story_page/0,8033,21922769%255E19742,00.html

http://img519.imageshack.us/img519/2105/01658552960000gc8.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Williams clone powers Hawks
18 June 2007 Herald-Sun
Mike Sheahan

TWO years ago, Greg Williams said of the emerging Sam Mitchell: "You'd probably like to see him do it for a little bit longer yet", as Mike Sheahan writes.


Apprentice no longer: Former champion onballer Greg Williams says Hawks midfield general Sam Mitchell is a legitimate star.




Last night, the Sydney and Carlton champion said of his Hawthorn clone: "He's done a great job, that bloke.

"He's a serious player; just does everything so well.

"You can't wrap him enough, where he's come from (Box Hill). I don't mind wrapping blokes who have done it the hard way.

"I don't know what his stats are, but who's better than him at the stoppages?"

Mitchell led the destruction of Carlton at Telstra Dome on Friday night, collecting 26 possessions and recording five clearances.

His hands are superb, as are his awareness and vision, and, just like Williams, he drills passes up to 40m off both feet.

Williams missed the game, celebrating in Sydney with former teammates as the festivities continued to mark the 25th anniversary of the Swans' move to the Harbour City.

In May 2005, Mick Malthouse watched Mitchell destroy Collingwood at the stoppages and said later: "He's as good as I've seen in close since Greg Williams."

Given Williams' history, including two Brownlow Medals, it was high praise indeed.

It was a bold call, and a good call.

Mitchell is the leader of a superb Hawthorn midfield, one that has set up the Hawks' brilliant start to the season, propelling them to third position halfway through the 12th round.

Including the final four rounds last year, they have won 12 of 16 games.

This year, they have beaten Geelong, West Coast, Port Adelaide and the Kangaroos.

On Friday night, they pummelled Carlton, winning by 100 points.

While the opposition was poor bordering on pathetic, the Hawks kicked 27.18.

There were times when, dare we say it, they sparked memories of the great Hawthorn teams of the 1980s.

Strong, desperate, aggressive, hungry . . . skilful.

They're tight, too, just like the class of the late '80s, and that bond is priceless.

They run en masse from the back of the centre line and then swing into a vacant corridor.

Second and third efforts, too. Which brings us to Brad Sewell, yet another ringing endorsement of the rookie list.

He goes hard enough to win the ball and then harder again after he delivers.

Sewell, Joel Smith, Mitchell, Shane Crawford and Clinton Young just kept banging the ball into the forward 50.

The Hawks had 69 inside 50s, double the Carlton number. Twenty of their goals came from marks.

When they go forward, they have the marking power of Tim Boyle, Trent Croad (temporarily) and Jarryd Roughead, and the marauding Luke Hodge.

If they can afford to leave Hodge forward, he is going to pose a massive problem for every opposition.

He is an excellent mark for his height, you know about his kicking, and he is ferocious when the ball is in dispute.

Hawthorn is averaging a healthy 96 points a week, and it did the job on Friday night without Lance Franklin, and has been without Mark Williams for much of the season.

The Hawks' VFL affiliate, Box Hill, rounded off the weekend yesterday with a win over top team Sandringham.

It wasn't just the win, it was the form of the next wave of youngsters: Mitch Thorp, Beau Dowler, Josh Kennedy, Travis Tuck and Brent Renouf.

Even the conservatives at Hawthorn have to concede now the Hawks are at least 12 months ahead of schedule.

It's no longer a question of whether they are ready to play finals, more whether they can finish top four.

They face Collingwood and Adelaide in Adelaide immediately after the break. Win one of those and they are bang on track for a top-four finish.

As for Carlton, Friday night has to be the Blues' worst performance of the season or, at best, on a par with the West Coast loss when they kicked 4.15 to lose by 61 points.

You can't help thinking up to eight of Friday night's 22 won't be at Princes Park next year, regardless of who is in charge.

Lance Whitnall, the skipper, is a major concern. He desperately needs a body that functions as efficiently as his brain.

His team desperately needs a ruckman, too. Cain Ackland isn't the answer and he certainly isn't going to be in 2008-09.

The Carlton resistance was so thin, Hawthorn kicked 21 goals to eight after quarter-time.

The Blues don't have a chance to atone until Saturday week, when they face Fremantle in Perth.

Fancy having to live with that performance for 15 days.

[RustyHawk]

All Australian nomination 2007


Buddy Franklin, Luke Hodge, Sam Mitchell and Campbell Brown were all nominated in the 40 man All Australian squad for 2007. From this squad the starting 22 and All Australian Squad for 2007 will be announced.

Campbell Brown went on to gain a position in the starting 22 announced Monday 17th September 2007.

[RustyHawk]

'Vanders has been the key'
5:15 PM Mon 10 September, 2007 | Back

By Matt Burgan

Exclusive to AFL BigPond Network

News


HAWTHORN co-vice-captain Sam Mitchell believes the Hawks would not be contesting this year's finals had it not been for the leadership of skipper Richie Vandenberg.

Mitchell said Vandenberg, who last week announced he would be retiring at the end of the season, was one of the major factors in the club's turnaround since coach Alastair Clarkson came on board at the end of the 2004 season.

"Without 'Vanders' we wouldn't be where we are," Mitchell said at a Hawthorn recovery session at St Kilda Sea Baths on Monday.

"The influence he's had over our playing group and our whole footy club in the past three years has been so significant that I would put [my] reputation on the line to say: if we hadn't had him at our footy club three years ago, we probably wouldn't be playing finals footy this year.

"To be able to repay some of that to him will be a huge bonus for us as well.

"His influence in going between the coaches and playing group has been very significant for us."

Reflecting on Hawthorn's stunning three-point elimination final win over Adelaide at Telstra Dome on Saturday, Mitchell said the excitement of the victory had quickly turned to thinking about the Kangaroos next weekend.

"To be honest, at the time it was very, very exciting," Mitchell said. “But as soon as we got in the rooms and sang the song, everyone was pretty stuffed

"Everyone was relieved and thankful that it was over — and very excited to get the win obviously — but the buzz went out of it straight away and we just started moving on to watch the Geelong-Kangaroos game and have a look at the Kangaroos for this week."

Although they saw Geelong thrash the Kangaroos by 106 points on Sunday, Mitchell said the Hawks were not taking the Roos lightly.

"We're certainly not underestimating them. They finished fourth on the ladder, above us, and we've got a lot of respect for what they've been able to do this year and the footy that they play. We came off a 70-something-point loss last week against the Swans and they [the Kangaroos] had a pretty big loss yesterday, but Geelong were almost irresistible weren't they – they were very, very good," Mitchell said.

Mitchell believes the Cats could still be knocked off, although he concedes they are the premiership favourite.

"I'd like to think they're beatable. I don't think I've ever played in a game where we didn't think we could win. Most players and sides are like that, and you have to get them on your day. They would've beaten most sides yesterday, but they're going to have an ‘off’ day at some stage — and hopefully, if we can get to play them, then it will be against us.

“They're a very, very good side, but every side has ups and downs," Mitchell said.

"Perhaps as a young group, it's better to play every week."

On the injury front, Mitchell said Ben McGlynn (adductor) was in the mix to return for the Hawks this weekend.

"I'd say so. He's been a little bit sore. He's not diabolical by any stretch and his season is not over – he's doing everything he can to get himself as close to full fitness to give himself a chance and it'll probably just come down to the match committee room on Thursday," Mitchell said.

[RustyHawk]

Mitchell to captain Hawks in 2008
11:00 PM Sat 6 October, 2007 | Back


for hawthornfc.com.au

News
SAM Mitchell has been named the next captain of the Hawthorn Football Club.

The influential midfielder was announced as club captain in front of over 1300 Hawks supporters at the Peter Crimmins Medal, Hawthorn’s best and fairest awards night.

Luke Hodge will vice-captain the Hawks in 2008, with both appointments receiving unanimous approval from the Hawthorn Football Club president and board, following its proposal by the leadership group in consultation with the match committee.

“The selection of Sam as the next captain of the Hawthorn Football Club by his fellow players, coaches, and with the full support of the board, is a natural progression for him from his position as joint vice-captain in 2007,” said club president Jeff Kennett.

”Together with Luke, this augers well for the quality and direction of the team for 2008. Both young men have strong leadership skills, have enormous drive and a prodigious talent for work.”

Following the retirement of former Hawks captain, Richie Vandenberg, at the conclusion of Hawthorn’s 2007 finals campaign, the leadership group met on several occasions to discuss the future direction of the club.

Mitchell has been an outstanding leader at Hawthorn, and is well respected both within Hawthorn circles and throughout the broader AFL community.

The hard-working midfielder leads by example, winning the 2006 Peter Crimmins Medal for the club’s best and fairest player.

Hawthorn Coach, Alastair Clarkson, believes that Mitchell’s appointment as captain and Hodge as vice-captain is a clear indication of the strength of his young squad.

“We took the decision several years ago to rebuild our football club and Sam and Luke both represent the future of this proud club.

“Sam will be an outstanding captain. He is a strong and mature leader of men.

“Luke leads by example and both are respected by their peers for their unwavering commitment to the team and the club,” said Clarkson.

The Hawthorn coach was also quick to recognise the hard work of outgoing captain Richie Vandenberg, who had led the club through the tough task of rebuilding a squad, culminating for Vandenberg with a return to finals footy in 2007.

“Richie was a strong leader. He was a great servant of this football club. It was fitting that Richie would play a significant role in returning our club to the finals,” Clarkson said.

[RustyHawk]

Mitchell steers ship into new era
08 October 2007 Herald Sun
Daryl Timms

NEW Hawthorn captain Sam Mitchell is excited about the prospect of leading the Hawks in an era when they are expected to challenge for a premiership.

As well as announcing Mitchell as captain and Luke Hodge as his deputy, the Hawks have unveiled a new aggressive logo to show that the club is "ready to hunt".

The Hawks decided to stick with tradition, resisting the temptation to have co-captains, and announced Mitchell's appointment to end speculation whether he or Hodge would win the job.

Brad Sewell, Tim Clarke, Chance Bateman and Shane Crawford have been appointed to the team's leadership group.

Mitchell said yesterday he and Hodge were fortunate to be the leaders of the club at a time when most of the hard work had already been done.

"It's going to be more about maintenance, and when the challenges come we are in a position to make good decisions," Mitchell said.

"It's just not put your name on the honour board and forget it. It's a big responsibility and one I'm looking forward to."

Mitchell said Hodge was a great on-field leader who made his teammates walk taller.

"We are a little bit different and come from different backgrounds. He is a country boy and I'm more a city kid. We have different traits and maybe he is a little bit more of a lad," Mitchell said.

Hodge said it was an honour to be put in charge of good blokes in a good, tight team.

"I am looking forward to the future," Hodge said.

"Sammy is one of the blokes who has put us in the position we are in today and he does everything right and is just a good leader. Everyone is going to follow his example, and I'm rapt to be vice-captain behind him.

"I'm going to help him and he is going to help me."

Coach Alastair Clarkson described the captaincy as an enormously difficult decision, but wanted to announce it now to end ongoing speculation.

He said both Mitchell and Hodge were highly regarded and consideration had been given to appointing co-captains.

Clarkson said the Hawks had had some great captains down the years but had never shared the job, so a decision had been made to respect the club's history.

"And that made it a very difficult choice between the two guys," Clarkson said.

"We feel we have two guys who do represent the new Hawthorn in a manner.

"We have gone through a very, very bold process over the last three years to reignite the football club and give ourselves a chance to win our next premiership, which would be our 10th. We couldn't have two guys to guide us in a better direction."

Club president Jeff Kennett said it was an extraordinary honour to be the head of any organisation.
He said the players and the coaches had made a recommendation to the board that Mitchell captain the club and Hodge become vice-captain.

Kennett said the club had decided earlier this year to have a new logo, replacing the flying hawk, that represented where the club was heading in the next five years.

"We wanted a logo that was bolder, that was a little bit more aggressive and quite clearly demonstrated that we, as a team, are ready to hunt," Kennett said.

[Big Ronnie]

At pick 7 Sammy (Captain, The Extractor, bottom of the pack) is my man.

I will do my very best to keep you updated all season as my 6 year old Jazz, absolutely idolises him and I cant let her down

BR:thumbsu:

[Big Ronnie]

My man Sam!

Look out 2008, if there was someone to lead us from the front, Sams the Man.

BR:thumbsu:
[LIST]

Sam Mitchell has succeeded Richie Vandenberg as Hawthorn skipper for 2008, while Luke Hodge will be his deputy.

The club announced the new appointment at its best and fairest dinner on Saturday night, with coach Alastair Clarkson and president Jeff Kennett backing the move along with the more than 1300 fans who attended the count.

"We took the decision several years ago to rebuild our football club and Sam and Luke both represent the future of this proud club," Clarkson said.

"Sam will be an outstanding captain. He is a strong and mature leader of men. Luke leads by example and both are respected by their peers for their unwavering commitment to the team and the club."

"The selection of Sam as the next captain of the Hawthorn Football Club by his fellow players, coaches, and with the full support of the board, is a natural progression for him from his position as joint vice-captain in 2007," Kennett added.

"Together with Luke, this augers well for the quality and direction of the team for 2008. Both young men have strong leadership skills, have enormous drive and a prodigious talent for work."

Winner of the 2006 Peter Crimmins Medal as Hawthorn's best and fairest player, Mitchell won the nod from Hodge following several meetings involving the 2007 leadership group and the match committee.

[Big Ronnie]

Hawthorn captain predicts big season for Big Ronnie





HAWTHORN captain Sam Mitchell said the return of former Geelong Falcon Tim Clarke and Big Ronnie to the line-up will help make the Hawks a better team in 2008.
In Geelong yesterday,(We believe his car must of broken down) Mitchell said Clarke's return from a long-term injury was a bonus for the side looking to build on its first finals appearance in six years and he is also predicting a big season from vice-captain Luke Hodge.And enforcer Big Ronnie.
Clarke only played the opening two matches in 2007 and missed the rest of the season because of an achilles injury.
``Having Tim Clarke back in the side will be a huge bonus for us because we really missed his run around the middle of the ground, so we're really looking forward to getting him back,plus Big Ronnie hammering opposition fans each weeks shows the commitment from our supporters also,'' Mitchell said.
Mitchell said that Hodge, who will miss the Hawks' opening round clash because of a suspension he received from their semi-final loss, has been flying over the pre-season and is confident the ex-Colac footballer will continue to take his game to another level.
``I think Hodgey hasn't missed a game for us in about three years and he's been very consistent,he is so stoked to have been able to drive straight from Colac to Hawthorn without having to stop in Geehole. And he renounced any claims by Bobby Davis of any bloodlines to anybody or anything to do with the Geelong Football Club,'' Mitchell said.
``He looks very strong this year. He's been doing a lot of running, and some serious weight training with Big Ronnie over the pre-season and he is in as good a shape as he's ever been in, so we're looking forward to getting some good things out of Luke this year.His guns are getting towards Big Ronnie proportions!''
Hawthorn reached the finals last year for the first time since 2001,(thank you Mr.Goldspink) but was bundled out by the Kangaroos in the semi-final. Mitchell said the club was approaching 2008 with a lot of optimism.
``We're looking to improve and go forward,'' Mitchell said.
``We look at what Geelong were able to do last year and they were very, very impressive and they're going to be very, very hard to beat again all year.And they are all incredibly stupid! We just want to improve on what we were able to do last year and I think if we keep working the way we have been and we keep maturing as a group, we'll be able to do that.
``The exciting thing is we've got a lot of young players who are able to take big steps forward and the quicker they are able to do that the quicker we'll be a better side.''
Mitchell said it was an honour to take over the captaincy role from Richie Vandenberg.
``It is (an honour) when you look back at some of the names that have been captain of our footy club,'' Mitchell said.
``But, it's only really a title. You're only as good as the team you have around you.And we are so lucky to have Big Big Ronnie right by our side side''




Well I can't help but tell you all that I felt very special and a little verklempt once I read this, and very proud to be a Hawks man.

BR:thumbsu:

[noosa hawk mad]

http://bigpondvideo.com/afl/43214

S Mitchell talks to the media from regional training at Pakenham :thumbsu:I know it's been a busy week BR for you-self & little Maddy Looking forward to seeing some nice pic's mate after Mondays day out with the Captain!!

[noosa hawk mad]

Hawks seek atonement

4:00 PM Fri 25 January, 2008 | Back (javascript:history.go(-1);)
By Jennifer Witham
for hawthornfc.com.au



News


Pre-season Press Conference: Mitchell (http://bigpondvideo.com/afl/43214)
Fri, Jan 25, 08
HAWTHORN will enter the 2008 season with a determination to atone for an ultimately disappointing finals campaign that ended at the semi-final mark last September. New skipper Sam Mitchell said the Hawks were still haunted by the 33-point loss to the Kangaroos that crushed their flag hopes, and were united in their resolve to make the capitulation a distant memory this coming year.
"It's something we touch on," Mitchell said on Friday.
"I guess sometimes you forget what the real footy is like, because you just do so much training. We watched a bit of footage the other day and it's almost like you forget what footy jumpers look like because you haven't worn them for so long.
"Whenever we think of last year, and when people talk to us and say we're going to have a good year, all I think about and all we try and think about is the Kangaroos game in the finals when we were very, very ordinary.
"We got knocked out when we thought we were going along okay, and we probably got a little bit ahead of ourselves, and we never want to make that mistake again."
The process of avoiding such a mistake has begun for the club already, with Mitchell dismissing any suggestion the Hawks will view 2008 a missed opportunity if they don’t finish in the top four.
"Since Clarko has been at the club, and it's also part of our leadership group views, we don't want to set a roof to where we can go," he said.
"We don't want to say top four, we don't want to say top eight, or say win here or win there. You don't know what's going to happen throughout the season.
"There's probably 16 AFL clubs that want to finish up the top of the AFL ladder, and we don't know how we're going to go compared to them until we come up and play them.
"All we can do is prepare the best we can. At the moment, we think we're well placed to give it a good crack if things fall our way.
"You've got to have a bit of luck in the game, and hopefully that's on our side this year."
The Hawks will commence their assault on the NAB Cup when they meet the Swans on Sunday 17 February at Aurora Stadium in Launceston.

[noosa hawk mad]

Mitchell continues Vanders legacy

11:38 AM Thu 31 January, 2008 | Back (http://javascript<b></b>:history.go(-1);)
By Jennifer Witham
for hawthornfc.com.au



News


HAWTHORN midfielder Chance Bateman believes Sam Mitchell has slipped seamlessly into his new captaincy role because of the legacy left by former skipper Richie Vandenberg.
Bateman said Vandenberg's lasting influence on the leadership group had contributed to an easy transition for Mitchell as skipper of the Hawks.
“(Sam) is going really well. He's probably a bit more relaxed than I've seen him in past years,” Bateman told hawthornfc.com.au.
“He's handled the role really well and the boys have given him plenty of support. We are right behind him, hopefully he has a good first year as captain.
“'Vanders' did a great job over his time as captain and that's probably the reason Sam has been able to move into the role so well because of the structure 'Vanders' had in place with the leadership group.
“It made it a lot easier for the next captain coming in.”
Bateman said the playing list was in good shape and felt closer than ever after concurrent pre-Christmas training camps at Coffs Harbour and in Papua New Guinea.
“It was great when we all got back together. The boys were pretty quick to tell us how Kokoda was and what they experienced and we shared some of our stories,” he said.
“It brings the group tighter together because a lot of those guys would have heard us speaking about it and, now that they've experienced it, they can feel part of it as well.”
Bateman has returned to full training after a slight injury mishap before the Christmas break and says he is on track for a round one NAB Cup appearance.
“I had a bit of a sore knee prior to Christmas but I've been back into full training now for about three or four weeks so it's going well now,” he said.
“[The knee] was just a bit sore with some bone bruising but that seems to have cleared up now. I'm looking forward to the games starting.”
Bateman suspected training on hard surfaces had caused the knee problem.
“I think it was just the training I was doing in the off-season that caused it. I was doing a few longer runs over the break and maybe on some harder surfaces. But we're not really sure what it was from,” he said.
“We have a scratch match coming up in the next couple of weeks and I should be right for that, but if I don't play then, I'll definitely be right for round one of the NAB Cup.”
The 26-year-old battled hamstring problems during the 2007 finals and said his body had needed a break from the rigours of the game at season’s end.
“Even though you'd love to keep on playing in more finals, towards the end of the year you're really looking for that break,” he said.
“You enjoy the first month of [the break] but after that you're looking forward to starting training again and getting back into it. And then by the end of the pre-season you're really excited that the games are coming up.
“I think everyone is pretty much the same. It's a pretty long season, and it takes a fair toll on the body.”
Now, with his rest behind him and his body right to go, Bateman is anticipating the start of the season proper. And he is excited about the Hawks' 2008 prospects.
“We've lost a fair bit of experience since last year with a few of our older blokes going out but we're a pretty young side and we're very enthusiastic,” he said.
“But we're also maturing pretty quickly and we learned a lot from last year. So we're looking forward to improving on that this year.
“The good thing about [playing finals] last year is that you don't need any extra motivation to get through pre-season.
“That [semi-final] loss to North Melbourne sticks in your mind and it is what gets you through all those hard running and skills sessions during the summer.
“We're now getting towards the end of the pre-season and the games are starting so we're backing off on the running a little bit. It becomes more skill-focussed and about games and the way you want to play.
“We're really looking forward to getting into the matches now.”

[scout]

Article from the Tassie Mercury. Mitchell on various topics including Hawthorn's Tasmanian arrangement, drugs in AFL and the Captaincy. Only a short comment, but it's the first time I've heard him talk about his own style in the position and not just referring to it as carrying on with Vandenberg's work.


Tassie gets value for Hawks money
BRETT STUBBS

February 08, 2008 12:00am
TASMANIAN taxpayers are getting value for money on the State Government's annual $3 million-plus Hawthorn investment, says Hawks skipper Sam Mitchell.

While the $16.4 million, five-year sponsorship has attracted its fair share of Tasmanian detractors who see it as a luxury expenditure when the state is crying out for health and public housing funding, Mitchell disagrees.

The State Government pays $1.2 million a year for four home games and a NAB cup match in Launceston and $1.8 million for naming rights including the use of the word Tasmania on the Hawthorn guernsey, plus additional funding for performance incentives such as finals victories.

"It might not directly influence the people who are not interested in footy, but I think they should view it as an investment," Mitchell said of the deal.

"Millions of dollars go through every state in tourism and trying to get people into your state. By having a major sponsor of a footy side who plays footy here, every time we play here 20,000 people come from Melbourne to either play or to watch or other Melbourne teams come down to play curtain-raisers for us.

"Thousands of people are probably spending hundreds of thousands of dollars every time they come down here.

"I would imagine that the tourism market in Tassie would be booming and they would be getting their money back."

While Mitchell's figures for interstate visitors may be slightly exaggerated -- Tourism Minister Paula Wriedt said 13,403 interstate footy fans flew in for five AFL matches at Launceston's Aurora Stadium last season -- he said the players were fully informed of what Tasmania's sponsorship means for the club.

"We have a full understanding of what it means to Tassie and it is a significant financial investment that they put into our footy club, one that we have to do all we can to make sure they get it back," he said.

For Mitchell, 25, the upcoming season will be his first as the Hawks skipper after taking over from Richie Vandenberg.

Doing what he does best, winning the ball at clearances, would continue to be his main role at the club, but he said as a new club captain he would bring his own leadership style.

"I set high expectations on the players and if they are willing to buy into that, I will be fairly good to them. But if they are not so willing to buy into that then I can be fairly harsh," Mitchell said.

Being made club captain also means Mitchell is in the frontline for tackling one of the AFL's biggest problems -- the use of recreational drugs.

"It is something for us as leaders in society to be right aware of and we have to be at the forefront," he said.

"Less than one per cent of AFL players have tested positive and of the same demographic out in the public, it is somewhere around 30 per cent.

"When players are 17 or 18 they need to understand their body and understand the risks of the things they might choose to do. All we try to do is put all the information in front of them and try to help them with their decision making.

"We just try to educate the players as best we can."

During the club's community camp in Tasmania this week, all Hawks players put up in front of the media have gone to great lengths to downplay expectations.

But after finishing sixth last season with a finals victory, there is no doubt the wider footballing community believes the Hawks are getting close to sticking a beak through the fabled "premiership window."

http://www.news.com.au/mercury/story/0,22884,23179647-13222,00.html

[noosa hawk mad]

Sam Mitchell gives Buddy a Spray

5:10 PM Tue 12 February, 2008 |

for hawthornfc.com.au



News


The Leukaemia Foundation’s World’s Greatest Shave is being held from 13-15 March 2008.

Hawthorn Football Club is getting behind this event, with 10 players committed to shaving or colouring their hair.

Today the boys had a practice run and decided who would colour and who will shave on March 13 at the State Library.

Log on to www.worldsgreatestshave.com (http://www.worldsgreatestshave.com/profile.php?id=396416) to find out which players are daring to shave their heads. You can interact with the Players and leave them notes of encouragement or sponsorship dollars.World Greatest Shave, celebrating its 10th year, is one of the nation’s biggest fundraising events involving 100,000 Australians pledging to shave or colour their hair.

The Hawthorn Football Club players are taking part to raise funds, you can join the team by sponsoring them or getting a group of your friends, school mates, colleagues or club members.

World’s Greatest Shave events will be held across Australia (participants can hold their own or find their nearest public event listed on www.worldsgreatestshave.com (http://www.worldsgreatestshave.com/)).

The Leukaemia Foundation is the only national not-for-profit organisation dedicated to the care and cure of patients and families living with leukaemias, lymphomas, myeloma and related blood disorders.

Funds raised will ensure the Foundation can improve patients’ quality of life through personalised and practical care. This includes the provision of ‘home away from home’ accommodation near major treatment centres, information and emotional support, education and support programs, transportation to and from hospital and practical assistance free of charge.

Money raised will also fund vital research into better treatments and cures.

Research has already made a difference in our lifetime. Leukaemia is the number one childhood cancer: 20 years ago, children with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) had a 30% chance of survival. Now 80% of children are likely to survive.



http://wa3.hawthornfc.com.au/Portals/0/images_hawks/080212_shave430.jpg


Call 1800 500 088 or register online on www.worldsgreatestshave.com (http://www.worldsgreatestshave.com/) The Leukaemia Foundation will then send a step-by-step ‘shave kit’ with everything you, your group, school or business will need.

[noosa hawk mad]

http://bigpondvideo.com/afl/43452 Interview with S Mitchell Hawk Talk!!

[noosa hawk mad]

Sam Mitchell and Lyndal Degenhardt
http://www.gspimages.com.au/images/thumbs/main/62638.jpg

[noosa hawk mad]

Mitchell Interview http://bigpondvideo.com/afl/44787 :thumbsu:

[noosa hawk mad]

Mitchell commits to Hawks


2:30 PM Tue 18 March, 2008
http://mm.afl.com.au/Portals/0/images/AFL/Hawthorn/Mitchell_re1.jpg
Sam Mitchell has re-signed until 2010


HAWTHORN captain Sam Mitchell put his signature on paper on

Tuesday, pledging his commitment to the club on the eve of the 2008 season.
The star midfielder has extended his contract with the club which will see him in a brown and gold jumper to at least 2010.
Mitchell said while his contract didn’t expire until the end of the season, he had no hesitation re-committing to the Hawks.
“It’s an exciting time to be at the club, we’ve set ourselves a path and I’m glad to have my place on the journey secured for the next couple of years,” he said.
“There is a really good atmosphere around Hawthorn at the moment, the club played finals last year and as a team we are looking forward to building on that to secure our 10th premiership.”
Senior coach Alastair Clarkson said the re-signing of Mitchell sent a positive message to the rest of the playing group.
“We have gathered together over the last three drafts a very talented group and Sam has set a great precedent for our young kids.
“We took the decision several years ago to rebuild our club and Sam, along with the leadership group, represents the future of this proud club. He is a strong leader, has enormous drive and is respected by his peers for his commitment to the team,” Clarkson said.
Mitchell is Hawthorn’s second major re-signing this year after Lance Franklin signed a three-year contract extension in January, securing his services until 2010.
In announcing his contract extension, Mitchell encouraged Hawthorn supporters to join him, with the club on target to set a new membership record of 35,000 members after reaching 30,000 on Tuesday.

[Big Ronnie]

masthead

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Join us at The Main Event (http://www.hawthornfc.com.au/Season2007/News/NewsArticle/tabid/4742/Default.aspx?newsId=55213)




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News

Mitchell commits to Hawks


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2:30 PM Tue 18 March, 2008
http://mm.afl.com.au/Portals/0/images/AFL/Hawthorn/Mitchell_re1.jpg Sam Mitchell has re-signed until 2010
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Tue, Mar 18, 08
HAWTHORN captain Sam Mitchell put his signature on paper on Tuesday, pledging his commitment to the club on the eve of the 2008 season.
The star midfielder has extended his contract with the club which will see him in a brown and gold jumper to at least 2010.
Mitchell said while his contract didn’t expire until the end of the season, he had no hesitation re-committing to the Hawks.
“It’s an exciting time to be at the club, we’ve set ourselves a path and I’m glad to have my place on the journey secured for the next couple of years,” he said.
“There is a really good atmosphere around Hawthorn at the moment, the club played finals last year and as a team we are looking forward to building on that to secure our 10th premiership.”
Senior coach Alastair Clarkson said the re-signing of Mitchell sent a positive message to the rest of the playing group.
“We have gathered together over the last three drafts a very talented group and Sam has set a great precedent for our young kids.
“We took the decision several years ago to rebuild our club and Sam, along with the leadership group, represents the future of this proud club. He is a strong leader, has enormous drive and is respected by his peers for his commitment to the team,” Clarkson said.
Mitchell is Hawthorn’s second major re-signing this year after Lance Franklin signed a three-year contract extension in January, securing his services until 2010.
In announcing his contract extension, Mitchell encouraged Hawthorn supporters to join him, with the club on target to set a new membership record of 35,000 members after reaching 30,000 on Tuesday.

Source: for hawthornfc.com

[stevejack101]

would be an honourable captain at any club

[noosa hawk mad]

http://bigpondvideo.com/afl/46653 S Mitchell speaks from Waverley ahead of round 6 clash!

[noosa hawk mad]

http://www.mytalk.com.au/aspx/pages/...t=audio&w=8772 (http://www.mytalk.com.au/aspx/pages/mediaplayer.aspx?t=audio&w=8772)

Hawthorn skipper Sam Mitchell talks about the undefeated Hawks' aspirations and tagging!:thumbsu:

[noosa hawk mad]

http://www.realfooty.com.au/news/news/hawk-eyes-fellow-stars/2008/05/07/1210131067943.html

Hawk Mitchell eyes the stars

Samantha Lane | May 8, 2008

SAM Mitchell will inhale every last piece of intelligence he can from his experience of representing Victoria in the Hall of Fame game this week.
And for the first-year Hawthorn skipper, who also happens to be leading The Age Footballer of the Year award, the days leading up to the exhibition match will be more valuable than the two or so hours he will spend on the MCG playing with the likes of Brownlow medallist midfielders Jimmy Bartel and Chris Judd.
"But no one's going to see that stuff," Mitchell, 25, said yesterday.
"Most of it will be behind closed doors. But I'm looking forward to that just as much as I am to the game. The two hours is obviously the performance side of it, but the preparation and almost the social component of it will be just as entertaining and just as educational for us as players."
By us, Mitchell meant Hawthorn, which has six representatives in the Victorian and Dream Team squads. It was the nomination of Jarryd Roughead, who has typically taken the back seat to the almost daily headline-grabbing Lance Franklin, that most pleased Mitchell.
"It's going to be great for him to just watch the way someone like Jonathan Brown goes about his business because obviously we'd love Roughy to end up being in the same class as big Jonathan Brown," he said.
"I think it's great reward for someone like that to get into the squad and hopefully he (Roughead) can play … and contribute and mix it with some of the other big boys."
Campbell Brown, Trent Croad and Brad Sewell also provided their club with healthy representation. Luke Hodge and Chance Bateman had to pass due to injury.
Still, by week's end, Mitchell believes Hawthorn should be better placed to match it with fellow unbeaten side Geelong — which it is still 11 weeks away from meeting.
Given that nearly half of the Victorian squad of 30 is a Hawthorn or Geelong player, this Saturday night is the next best thing to their home-and-away clash.
Or, in Mitchell's mind, as a reconnaissance exercise it could be even better — "because you're on more of an intimate, personal level (with the players) and with an opposition coach which will be really interesting."
The opportunity to gain an insight into the practices of Cats coach Mark Thompson is unique.
"I'm sure he'll be holding his tongue on a few things that he would be saying within the Geelong rooms," Mitchell said, "but by the same token he's going to be trying to win the game and … if you can suck anything out of him and the way Geelong goes about it, maybe can find a chink in that armour of theirs …

"We'll be trying to find out what Geelong and the Bulldogs and all the other clubs are doing. But by the same token, they're probably going to be trying to figure out what we're doing as well. So I'm sure there will (be) a little bit of a chess game going on in the team meetings."
If there is one player in the talent-rich Victorian squad that Mitchell most wants to study up close, he is not letting on.
"As a footy fan, I'm the same as everyone else," he said. "I'd love to see the way Adam Goodes goes about it, Jonathan Brown, Chris Judd, all the same people that the general public want to see train and would love to meet."
The access all-areas pass will not be wasted on the earnest Hawks skipper, who will note with interest which players are relaxed and joking in the rooms before the match and which ones position themselves in the corner and use earphones to block themselves off from the world.
"All of those little things, I think that I'll find that stuff pretty interesting, just the way different guys prepare for what's ahead."
Mitchell baulked at a query about how he was enjoying being an AFL captain. And, in fairness, the message from the Victorian team's communications man was that, according to a directive from clubs, players could do any media interview this week as long as the focus was promoting the Hall of Fame game.
But Mitchell's answer to a question about what part of this week he was most looking forward to said plenty.
There are five AFL captains in the Victorian squad and five in the Dream Team's. Mitchell will be watching them more than any midfielder.
"That's probably the key part for myself — just seeing how some of the other talent goes about their business," he said.
"Being a leader of a footy club does bring its challenges, which are more new to me.
"If you're going to become very good at whatever you do, whether you're a doctor or you're a journalist or you're a footballer, I think that ability to want to learn all the time has got to be there, otherwise you're only ever get to be good and not great."

[noosa hawk mad]

http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/sport/afl/story/0,26576,23715527-19767,00.html


Sore Sam inspires Hawk resurrection

Glenn McFarlane | May 18, 2008 12:00am

(http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/sport/afl/story/0,26576,23715527-19767,00.html#latest-comments)





OF Hawthorn's eight consecutive victories this season, this one clearly meant the most.

In Alastair Clarkson's time at the club, and for a good period before it, Port Adelaide had been Hawthorn's nemesis.
The Hawks had lost eight of their previous nine games to the Power before yesterday's gritty 15-point win at Launceston.
They were denied a top four finish last year thanks to a heartbreaking final-minute loss to Port Adelaide in their Round 20 clash at the same venue.
But for much of yesterday's game, it seemed a similar scenario might eventuate.
Port Adelaide jumped the Hawks in the first quarter, opening up a game-high lead of 38 points early in the second term.
By that stage, Hawthorn captain Sam Mitchell had been concussed and stretchered off, defender Brent Guerra had suffered a hamstring injury and the much-hyped Hawks were on the ropes.
Typically, it was through their engine room that the Hawks turned their fortunes around, with Brad Sewell overcoming a slow start to be the most influential player, kicking two crucial goals in the second term.
Jordan Lewis, Chance Bateman and the tough Mitchell were almost as good. Lewis had 36 touches, Bateman 28 and an incredible 11 inside 50s, while the skipper fought back courageously to provide his team great run.
After winning the first term in the centre of the ground, Port Adelaide was smashed in the next three.
Lance Franklin kicked six goals for the game to ensure his Coleman Medal odds are trimmed a few points. Jarryd Roughead, the other member of the Hawks' dynamic duo, was also prominent with three goals.
Port Adelaide's best player was Shaun Burgoyne, but while he got the Power up and running in the first half hour, his opponent for most of the game happened to be Sewell, who clearly won the points.
The Power controlled the opening quarter, kicking the first three goals of the game and a total of seven for the term to open up a 32-point lead at the first change.
When Mitchell returned to the fray, Hawthorn kicked six goals to four in the second quarter to cut the half-time margin to only 17 points.
The Hawks clicked into gear by kicking the last four goals of the third term, while a stalemate ensued for much of the final term, both teams throwing themselves into the contest.
Finally, after 11 minutes, Michael Osborne broke the deadlock when he ran behind the pack and gathered a loose ball to kick truly from 35m, making the difference 17 points.
Hawk Mark Williams, who had struggled for the entire game, finally put the issue beyond doubt at the 25-minute-mark when he nailed his first goal to give his team enough breathing space.
Unfortunately for him, his extraordinary gesture aimed at his namesake, the Port Adelaide coach, did not endear him to his coach.

[noosa hawk mad]

http://bigpondvideo.com/HawthornTV/48277
Mitchell interview!:thumbsu:

[RustyHawk]

Match Review Panel - Round 9

Hawthorn skipper Sam Mitchell was booked for tripping Melbourne's Simon Buckley but he can escape with a reprimand, although he will be risking a one match ban and faces the possibility of missing Saturday's blockbuster clash against the Bulldogs in Launceston if he decides to contest the charge.

[noosa hawk mad]

http://www.afl.com.au/tabid/208/Default.aspx?newsid=60313


Mitchell accepts sanction, foregoes Brownlow


By Jennifer Witham 12:18 PM Tue 27 May, 2008
http://mm.afl.com.au/Portals/0/images/AFL/AFL%20F-J/S-Mitchell_r908_b.jpg
Hawthorn's Sam Mitchell will be available to play this weekend after accepting a sanction for tripping


HAWTHORN captain Sam Mitchell has put team aspirations ahead of possible personal glory, sacrificing his Brownlow medal eligibility in favour of playing this weekend by accepting a tripping charge handed down by the match review panel.

Mitchell, 25, was met with a dilemma on Monday night when he was presented with the charge for tripping Melbourne's Simon Buckley, which incurred a total of 125 demerit points that were reducible to 93.75 with an early guilty plea.

League rules stipulate a charge that initially attracts over 100 points renders the recipient ineligible to win football's most prestigious individual honour, which left Mitchell with the option of accepting the penalty and playing this Saturday, or fighting the matter at the tribunal and risking a week's suspension.

The Hawks play the Western Bulldogs at Aurora Stadium this Saturday afternoon.

With the side currently missing Luke Hodge (hamstring), Brent Guerra (hamstring) and Stuart Dew (hamstring), and with Shane Crawford (knee swelling), Tim Boyle (corked hip) and Jordan Lewis (corked leg) needing to pass fitness tests ahead of the weekend, the Hawks could be down on experience when they face the third-placed Bulldogs.

But Mitchell's decision to shelve his Brownlow medal aspirations, for which he was second favourite behind Geelong's Gary Ablett when betting was suspended on Monday night, means he'll be available to bolster the Hawks' midfield in Tasmania on Saturday.

In the history of the award, which stretches back to 1924, there have been two players to claim the most votes but not receive the medal owing to ineligibility.

North Melbourne's Corey McKernan tied with winners James Hird and Michael Voss in 1996, but was denied the prize owing to suspension during the season. The second incident occurred the following year when Bulldog Chris Grant polled the most votes, but saw the medal go to the eligible St Kilda's Robert Harvey instead.

Last year, West Coast's Daniel Kerr tied for second place alongside the Brisbane Lions' Simon Black and the Kangaroos' Brent Harvey, but was also ineligible after being suspended in round eight.
Exclusive to AFL BigPond Network

[noosa hawk mad]

Dogs beat us at our own game: Mitchell





http://www.afl.com.au/tabid/208/Default.aspx?newsid=60616By Jennifer Witham 12:02 PM Sun 01 June, 2008
http://mm.afl.com.au/Portals/0/images/AFL/AFL%20A-E/Mitchell_Rd10_246.jpgSam Mitchell is tackled by Daniel Cross in Launceston on Saturday




WHILE Hawthorn captain Sam Mitchell concedes his side's 32-point loss to the Western Bulldogs on Saturday afternoon was a "reality check" of sorts, he denies it was the loss the club needed to have in order to take a step forward.
Mitchell, 25, admitted the players will need to learn from the lacklustre performance they put in against the Bulldogs, after being smashed in both the clearance and tackle count.
"We have to look at that game and some of the things we could do a lot better, because if we play like that, we're going to lose a lot more games than we're going to win," he said.
"We'll have a good look at the tape and make sure we can improve on those things."
However, Mitchell also said the Hawks did not "need" to be exposed in that way on Saturday in order to assemble an assault on the second half of the season, as the club refuses to look beyond one week either way at any one time.
"People use the phrase 'reality check', and people say during the week that you've got to have a loss at some stage, and they always use the 'one week at time' cliché," he said.
"But probably it's the same thing in the past. We don't look [back] more than a week ago as well.
"We might have won nine in a row before now, but we weren't worried about any of them.
"All we thought about was Melbourne last week, and we didn't play that well then, and then again today we didn't play anywhere near the way we want to move the footy.
"We weren't able to do that today, so we'll look at the Bulldogs game and the Essendon game [this week] – any of the other things that happen you sort of forget about.
"I'm not one that says you need to have a loss, because probably you've only had one win or one loss at any given time."
With every side in the competition having now suffered at least one loss, Mitchell said the season is shaping up to be an unpredictable one dominated by upset results.
"Some of the games that have happened this year have been very hard for tipping," he said.
"I'm not sure what the scores are like for this year, but it just seems to be that with any game, there's a good possibility of there being an upset.
"We've got Essendon next week, and they took Adelaide, which has probably been one of the best sides in the competition for the last four or five years, to five points."
Ultimately, Mitchell said it was hard to accept his side was beaten at it's "own game" on Saturday, as the Hawks have previously prided themselves on being hard at the man and the ball.
"We just couldn't get our game going. They were much better than us inside, they won more of the footy, they out-tackled us," he said.
"It's going to happen at times, but I think what's happened for us this year is that when we've been beaten for small parts of games, we've been able to bounce back and get the ascendancy at some point.
"Today, they were just very consistent. They didn't have a down patch where we were able to get on top of them."

[noosa hawk mad]

Win 'redemption' for loss to North

http://mm.afl.com.au/Portals/0/images/AFL/AFL%20F-J/RioliCmkrd15s246.jpgCyril Rioli flies unsuccessfully for a mark during the Hawks' big win over West Coast on Friday night







HAWTHORN captain Sam Mitchell says last night’s 57-point win over 15th-placed West Coast was as important as any this year, given the side’s patchy recent form.
Despite taking the best part of three quarters to quash a mini-Eagle uprising, before breaking the contest open with a seven-goal final term, the 25-year-old skipper said it was case of mission accomplished for the third-placed Hawks.
“We wanted to go into the bye 12-2 and we were going to be pretty happy with that,” Mitchell said.

“I guess the good thing about coming off the loss last week (to North Melbourne) was that we only had six days to wait to redeem ourselves. If we had lost tonight it would have been 16 days.”
Hawthorn’s next appearance comes against the in-form Sydney Swans on July 13 at the MCG, in what shapes as the match of round 15.
Mitchell shrugged off suggestions the side was struggling to find its best form and said the win over West Coast was full of merit, given the mounting injury toll.
“We lost a couple of soldiers with Jordan Lewis going down early, and Luke Hodge wasn’t able to come back in the third (quarter), which caused a bit of havoc with our rotations,” he said.
Lewis left the field late in the first term with a thigh injury and did not return, while Hodge copped a kicked to the calf just before half time. The Hawks also lost former skipper Shane Crawford late in the game with a knee injury to severely weaken a midfield division already without key playmakers Brad Sewell and Chance Bateman.
Mitchell said the side’s 12th win of the year was important for the mindset of the group going into the break.
“It was good to get a win and go into the break feeling reasonably good about ourselves and just revive and get our mental state right and the body a bit of a rest,” he said.
He paid tribute to Jarryd Roughead and Lance Franklin, who kicked 11 goals between them to be the match-winners, while praising the effort of defender Brent Guerra who gathered a team-high 29 disposals dashing off half-back.
“He’s such a good kick of the footy that whenever you can get the ball into his hands you want to do that because he’s just going to cut the opposition up,” Mitchell said.
“He’s a very important player to us, along with Grant Birchall and Rick Ladson.”

[RunAwayTrain]

Congratulations to Sammy on his engagment today!
Commiserations to Lyndal. ;)

[hawks_time]

How'd you find out about that?

[RustyHawk]

She said 'yes'

2:16 PM Thu 03 July, 2008

Hawthorn captain Sam Mitchell has announced his engagement to long standing partner Lyndall Degenhardt.

The Hawks skipper proposed to Lyndall whist taking a break during the split round at 'Wilsons Prom', in coastal south eastern Victoria.

Mitchell proposed close to the water at the world famous Wilsons Promontory National Park.

“She was jumping up and down like a little kid, we were standing on the rocks on the side of the water and I was a little worried that she was going to fall in,” said Mitchell.

“I was a little nervous – I had been planning it for a while. She usually knows when I am up to something so I am pretty happy that I managed to keep quiet.”

The Hawthorn captain shared the news with his teammates and close friends before speaking to hawthornfc.com.au. Mitchell reflected that it has just added that little bit extra to what has already been a great year for the Hawks star, since being named club captain and leading the side to a solid start to its 2008 campaign.

“It’s one of the Clubs that a lot of young kids say they would like to get drafted to. There is a lot of good stuff going on here at Hawthorn - great people and great support - it is genuinely the ‘family club.’”

No date has yet been set for the wedding, however, the couple are believed to be looking at October 2009.
for hawthornfc.com.au

[noosa hawk mad]

Hawks captain Sam Mitchell goes out while the rest rest

Shane Crawford | July 06, 2008 12:00am





EVEN holiday camps have rules - and there are certainly rules when it comes to AFL footballers and mid-season breaks.

The usual stuff: no swimming with sharks, climbing Mt Everest, using drugs or generally putting yourself at risk.
Everyone takes notice of these rules, although Hawthorn skipper Sam Mitchell may have been considered to have ventured into dangerous territory when he proposed to girlfriend Lyndall Degenhardt.
He popped the question on the rocks at Wilsons Prom and, thankfully, she said yes or he may have done himself some damage falling into the water.
I didn't realise he had a romantic bone in his body, but obviously he is taking his leadership role to a new level. Maybe young guys like Roughie and Buddy will follow his lead?
Being one of the youngest lists, the Hawks have a lot of single blokes - Trent Croad and I are the only players with children.
Every player from every club has his way of making the most of the break. At Hawthorn, we were off from Sunday to Wednesday. It may not seem long, but it can work wonders in the middle of a tough season.
Some players catch up with family, others with their partners. Some head back home, while others take the opportunity to go on a short holiday.
I enjoyed my time at home with the family, while Croady headed down to his holiday shack at Sorrento to kick back and have some quiet time with his loved ones.
A lot of the young guys go away together.
Brad Sewell and Simon Taylor were the "odd couple" on a trip to Noosa where they kicked back and lay on the beach.
Brad would have been in tight Speedos, putting his finely tuned body on show.
Simon probably wore big board shorts to cover his big lanky body.
Each to his own.
A few days off is also a great chance to do things you don't have the spare time to do during a hectic season.
I even saw Carlton players Nick Stevens and Eddie Betts heading off to watch a movie Monday afternoon with a few of the younger guys in toe.
As strange as it seems, even though you are encouraged to get away from footy completely, most players still hang out together.
The rest is important to players because it gives them - and coaches and staff - a mental break.
Being consumed by footy day-in, day-out can be overwhelming. It is a genuine relief to be away from team meetings and preparing for matches.
These days footy is played so much above the shoulders and just to not have to analyse opposition players and talk about match plans and all the rest that goes with it is a bonus.
And physically it's a great opportunity for players to give their bodies a chance to recover.
After a long pre-season, pre-season matches and 14 AFL games, simply having a week away from the pounding can improve injuries by as much as 25 per cent.
All clubs think moderation is the key. They want players to relax, still keep to dietary requirements and are happy enough for players to have a few drinks and generally switch off.
These days the clubs trust players with their professional approach. Drinking, for example, is fine in moderation for a few days.
Clubs want players to genuinely have four or five days off and do nothing, to allow the body to regenerate and recover, and be ready for the demands of the rest of the season.
This next phase is vital. It is the business end for those thinking about finals while, for others, their futures might be on the line.
The whole idea of the break is to return and feel like you have missed the place, that you are refreshed mentally and that you just want to get into it.
That's far better than treating football like a job where you clock on and off.
In football you need passion - obviously something Mitchell has on and off the field

[RustyHawk]

Sam Mitchell finds captaincy a 24-hour job

Mark Robinson | July 07, 2008 12:00am

A COUPLE of seasons back, when he was still on his journey from the rookie list to club captain, Hawk Sam Mitchell was playing in Adelaide and his team was being belted. Leadership, and any derivative of it, is a learning process and that day Mitchell got a lesson from champion Crows skipper Mark Ricciuto.

"I remember playing against Adelaide and I can still remember Mark Ricciuto, who was playing in the forward line, and we were down by 15 goals," Mitchell said.

"And he was still screaming at blokes making sure the set-ups were right and making sure all the structures were set up properly.

"And I can remember thinking, 'That's how you lead a playing group'."

Mitchell and Luke Hodge were vice-captains to Richie Vandenberg in 2007, with Mitchell getting the nod for 2008.

Nothing has changed in his approach to the game or the club.

His transition to the captaincy has been a smooth one. His team is in third position, and Mitchell remains one of the premier midfielders in the competition.

The burden can drag down the best of leaders, but not 25-year-old Mitchell. He was already a leader. Now it's just recognition.

The major difference, he said, was time - how much he's lost.

"You probably take on more admin," he said.

"It's not the most important thing you do, but it's time consuming because you have to make sure the meetings happen.

"Sometimes you can become a little reliant on the captain. You have a leadership meeting every Monday and we'll talk about four of five things, and when something is resolved and is going to happen, it's always up to you to make sure it happens.

"You can never have an off week.

"One of the key parts to being a leader in any organisation is being up all the time or appearing to be up all the time.

"Everybody's going to have a down day, but the way you handle the down parts to the season is probably more important than handling the ups.

"Probably when you're struggling to get a kick and your team's not playing well, that's when it's probably more important what you do as a leader."

Mitchell shares the leadership duties with a group comprising Hodge, Shane Crawford, Chance Bateman, Brad Sewell and Tim Clarke. He uses Stuart Dew, a premiership player at Port Adelaide, because Dew's been there, done that.

"I call on Stewy Dew because he's the only premiership player we've got and sometimes when you want to present something to the player group, we'll use him other than doing it yourself, because he might get a better response.

"If we want to be a premiership side this is what we need, and he's got more pull saying that than I do," he said.

From day one at the club, players are dealt a fair fist of Hawthorn history.

Before Mitchell and Vandenberg were Crawford, Jason Dunstall, Chris Langford, Gary Ayres, Michael Tuck, Leigh Matthews, Don Scott, Peter Crimmins, David Parkin and Graham Arthur.
Mitchell reflects on history but never dwells on it.

"I've been around the place for seven years. The first couple of years I was just happy to be in the system and they threw the history down your throat and you loved it because you were a young bloke," he said.

"Then I had a couple of years thinking I want to make my own history. I'm sick of hearing about what happened in the '80s. But since Clarko (coach Alastair Clarkson) came on board they haven't thrown it down our throats as much, and a few of the guys have got a greater appreciation.

"I think John Kennedy said it best when his statue was put up, he said: 'Learn from the past, but don't live it.' That's the attitude I take."

Mitchell, like all captains - indeed all players - dares to dream of holding the premiership cup.

Former Hawk Russell Greene recently urged him to find time to close his eyes and think about that moment.

"He asked me have I thought it, have I thought about holding the cup up, and I said I hadn't and this was before the season started," Mitchell said.

"He said, well, I should - don't do it for very long, just for a couple of minutes, but feel what it would feel like to stand up on the altar on Grand Final Day, because if you visualise it for a few minutes it might help you."

Did you?

"I did. But it's not something I would like to touch on too much because I could easily not get out of bed and dream about it."

[noosa hawk mad]

http://sportal.com.au/afl-news-display/mitchell-hawks-right-in-the-hunt-5328

Hawthorn skipper Sam Mitchell says the race for the 2008 premiership is far from over after piloting his team to within 11 points of reigning premier Geelong on Friday night.
Mitchell was proud of the Hawks' commitment and effort as they pushed the Cats to the brink in a match that was worth waiting 17 rounds for.
Geelong, which thrashed Port Adelaide by a record 119 points in last year's grand final to end a 44-year premiership drought, has been backed into $1.60 favouritism in some markets for this year's flag after just one loss for the season to date.




But Mitchell, Hawthorn's best player with 33 possessions after only passing a fitness test earlier that day, said the narrow defeat in front of 86,179 fans - a home-and-away record between the two clubs - proved his team wasn't far away.
"I think it shows we're in the ballpark," Mitchell told reporters at Waverley Park on Monday morning. "We're not miles off it."
"Geelong were too good for us on the night and we made too many mistakes to be competitive. We need to try and improve those things. We don't just want to mix it with the top side, we want to be able to beat them."
The Hawks trailed by 19 points at quarter-time before briefly snatching the lead in the final quarter, only for a couple of costly turnovers - most notably to the usually-reliable Luke Hodge with just four minutes remaining - to end the contest.
"We had our chances, we made some poor mistakes and if we change those things, we're right in the game," Mitchell said.
"But they're a very good side and have quality players to come back in, as do we, and hopefully we'll get the chance to play them again."
Mitchell said veteran Shane Crawford was all but certain to face Collingwood in another Friday night blockbuster this week after recovering from knee tendonitis, while Stuart Dew and Clinton Young are also in line for a recall.
"They (Collingwood) play in front of those big crowds fairly regularly so they'll be coming out ready to fire after a loss as well on the weekend," Mitchell said. "I think it's going to be a great game of footy again."

[noosa hawk mad]

http://bigpondvideo.com/HawthornTV/68323
Mitchell speaks about up coming match V Pies Round 18!

[noosa hawk mad]

Mitchell succumbs to Tas-mania






The Locker Room: Sam Mitchell


THERE has been a lot of talk about building new teams and taking them into 'new' markets in a bid to entrench Australian Football as the No.1 game around the country.

With more people going to the footy, huge television audiences and record numbers signing up as members it makes sense that the powers that be want to continue to build on that momentum.

As we all know, the AFL's plans revolve around creating 17th and 18th teams in the quickly developing areas of the Gold Coast and western Sydney.

But as someone with pretty close ties to the southern state, what about Tassie?

I've seen first-hand the passion the locals have for the game so I reckon I can comment about how much footy means to our friends from the Apple Isle.

The place has become a home away from home for all of us Hawthorn boys, especially when you consider how much time we spend down there each year.

Thinking about it the other day I realised that, on average, a senior Hawthorn player can spend as much as a month a year in Tassie.

That's taking into account training camps, community camps, one pre-season game and four home and away games every year.

I believe we have done enough Auskick clinics and school and hospital visits to appreciate the grassroots support the game has in Tassie.

Our after-match functions are also consistently filled with the loudest voices and the most people of anywhere we play. It's clear that people of all ages have a real passion for the game.

We've now got around 4000 members based in Tassie, which is roughly 10 per cent of our membership base. For a state with a population of around half a million people, that's a fair strike rate for one club.

If you consider that there'd be thousands of fans who love their footy but aren't passionate enough about Hawthorn to buy a membership ticket, you begin to appreciate that there might be enough support for a stand-alone Tassie team.

A selfish part of me would like to think that Tasmanians will have to wait at least a while yet to get their own team.

We've forged a great relationship with the people of Tassie and Hawthorn does really well financially out of our sponsorship with the government so I'll be more than happy to play down there until they finally do get their own team.

In the meantime, our southern supporters can be satisfied that they can still get to experience special events like this weekend, when Shane Crawford plays his 300th game.

To play that many games is a great milestone and playing it with him will make this a special day not just for Crawf but for every Hawthorn player who runs out there with him.

It will be our great honour to play with him, and it will be Tassie's honour to host the milestone game of such a legend of our club.

[noosa hawk mad]

Too Buddy-centric: Mitchell
http://www.afl.com.au/News/NEWSARTIC...x?newsId=65738 (http://www.afl.com.au/News/NEWSARTICLE/tabid/208/Default.aspx?newsId=65738)


By Catherine Murphy 12:46 PM Mon 18 August, 2008
http://mm.afl.com.au/Portals/0/images/AFL/Hawthorn/Mitch-Frank246x316a.jpgHawks skipper Sam Mitchell


HAWKS captain Sam Mitchell has agreed with Richmond coach Terry Wallace that Hawthorn focused too much on kicking to Buddy Franklin in their defeat to the Tigers on Sunday.
Match statistics show the Hawks aimed for Franklin 17 times, only once kicked to fellow forward Jarry Roughead, and tried to hit Mark Williams just six times.
"When you look at those stats it is (true we were too Buddy-centric)," Mitchell said on Monday.
"We try and have a bit more of an even balance, normally we do, so hopefully we can keep that a little bit more even."
After the unexpected victory on Sunday, when Franklin was often double and triple-teamed by Richmond defenders, Wallace said the Hawks did seem a little single minded in their avenue to goal.
"I thought they put a few eggs in that basket today," Wallace said post-match when asked if the Hawks appeared to be Buddy-centric.
"When a bloke has been as good as what he's been, when a bloke is nine goals off a hundred, when the opposition know they are in a finals campaign, I don't think they do it on purpose."
Mitchell admitted the stats were pretty damning, and said the Hawks certainly wouldn't like to see those numbers again in post-match analysis.
"We didn't use Mark Williams enough. That's not a stat we'd like to see repeated, we're not going to win enough games of footy with stats like 17 to 1."
However, the skipper scoffed at suggestions the Hawks were conscious of trying to get Franklin closer to the magical 100-goal milestone.
"Certainly not ... he's snapped one around the corner to Ossie (Michael Osborne) and he handballed to Brownie (Campbell Brown) when he could have easily kicked (at goal) himself," he said.
"So if it was about (the) 100 (goals) he wouldn't be doing those sorts of things."

[noosa hawk mad]

Mitchell plays down ‘healthy debate’





By Catherine Murphy 5:14 PM Mon 18 August, 2008
http://mm.afl.com.au/Portals/0/images/AFL/AFL%20A-E/Rd03_Mitchell_246a.jpgHawks captain Sam Mitchell


HAWTHORN captain Sam Mitchell has played down his on-field dispute with vice-captain Luke Hodge as “healthy debate”.
As the Hawks headed into the quarter time huddle, television coverage showed Mitchell and Hodge vigorously arguing.
“It was on TV this week but if you have a look next week, and you look closely enough, you’ll probably see something similar,” Mitchell said.
“We’re both guys who want to get the best out of our side and as two leaders, captain and vice-captain, we want to have some healthy debate about the way things are going, what we can do better, what’s working and what Richmond were doing.
“We probably had different views on what was going on and we voiced them. We got to the bottom of them, so there are no issues.”
According to the skipper the midfield duo’s difference of opinion was down to structural strategies.
“It was a structure thing. [It was] just whether or not we were supposed to be in a man-on-man or a zone mentality at a certain part of the game. It was very, very minor.”
As far as Mitchell is concerned, such debate is more the norm than the exception at football clubs.
“It’s just part of footy. You’ve got 40 blokes running around on a training track together and on the weekend there are 20 blokes running around the track together, they’re all full of adrenaline and testosterone and all have opinions to get across. Sometimes when you disagree there’s a bit of a spat but it’s certainly nothing major.”
When asked who won the argument, Mitchell was quick to respond.
“He did,” he laughed.

[noosa hawk mad]

Anxious wait for Sam Mitchell and Mark Williams

Both Williams and Mitchell caught opponents high with reckless, albeit light knocks that could incur a penalty.
Hawthorn is walking a fine-line with some of its biggest-name players taking carry-over points into this finals series.
Coach Alistair Clarkson acknowledged the situation was not ideal, but said he would not instruct his troops to alter their attack on the footy.
"I think it will be a worry for anyone, that's not ideal that situation where we've got guys with carry-over points but we play in a very volatile and aggressive sport," he said.
"And we ask our players to play tough, hard footy and sometimes that drags them a little bit close to the line, so they are vulnerable to reports and suspensions.
Related Links









"But over the course of the last 10 to 12 weeks our players have been pretty good."
While Clarkson could have concerns at the tribunal, he does not have any worries about his forward line.
If Lance Franklin is the ace up Hawthorn's sleeve this September then Campbell Brown has surely become Clarkson's wildcard.
The raging bull of the Hawks' backline continued his impressive transition up forward nailing four goals in their 71-point win.
All the attention was on superstar forward Lance Franklin as he fell two goals short of his 100th for the season, booting a wayward 4.5.
But for effectiveness, there was no going past Brown, whose tackling pressure and scoreboard impact was more influential than his nine possessions suggests yesterday.
Clarkson said the more he sees of Brown up forward, the more he likes the unpredictable edge the utility gives Hawthorn in attack.
"We've looked at a lot of other sides, not just teams we play in the present era, but previous sides that were very successful in September who have had a number of players that were able to float from forward to back," Clarkson said.
"He is such an aggressive competitor and he has such great leg-speed and they are usually the traits you like in your back half and that's why we've played him there for the bulk of the past two or three seasons.
"But we didn't want him pigeon-holed as a defender for the rest of his career because we think he's got some key attributes that can help us from time to time.
"It is ironic that the guy who had the least amount of possessions on the oval probably had the greatest influence on the contest and in my view that was Campbell Brown."
Clarkson insisted his troops were not distracted by the focus on Franklin as Hawthorn instead shared the load with nine individual goalkickers.
Franklin will try to reach the 100 goal milestone against Carlton on Sunday.

[RustyHawk]

Match review panel: round 21

4:16 PM Mon 25 August, 2008
Other Incidents Assessed:

Contact between Hawthorn's Brent Renouf and West Coast's Quinten Lynch from the first quarter of Sunday's match was assessed. Renouf went to push off Lynch in a contest. At the same time, Hawthorn's Sam Mitchell dragged Lynch to the ground. Mitchell's action contributed to the high contact on Lynch. No further action was required.

Contact between Hawthorn's Sam Mitchell and West Coast's Ashley Hansen from the second quarter of Sunday's match was assessed. It was the view of the panel that Mitchell's action was not a strike. Contact was made with an open hand in a grabbing / tackling motion. No further action was required.