When I was a kid, Greg Williams was the best midfielder in the game. Despite having no physical attributes (short, slow, etc) he was dominant. He just kept winning the hard ball (highest disposal average of all time), had good feet and AMAZING hands (best I'd seen) but what really set him apart was his vision - he could find players no one else could. He was also a big game player (Norm Smith Medallist).
Whilst some may see this as reactionary after a great GF, Mitchell has been compared to Diesel for over a decade. He is similarly short and slow(almost identical physical profile), is just as prolific a ball winner and specializes in clearance work. He has INCREDIBLE hands and vision second to none (including Diesel). He is a big game player and just very similar to Diesel.
My contention is that he is every bit as good and now his equal.
Some may argue:
• Diesel has 2 Brownlows, but Mitchell has collected 24 more Brownlow votes (which is 7 more than Diesel's winning total of 17) at a higher rate and is still going strong. He also has more BOG's
• Others may point to the MVP but this is a popularity contest and Diesel was the biggest headline grabber of his time whilst Mitchell is never in the spotlight. Diesel was part of two massive Buddy style defections, racial vilification scandals, illegal player payments and big tribunal cases that had him on front and back pages and talked about in the media 24/7. He was in the forefront of everybody's mind all the time and his games were watched extra close.
• Finally, people have mentioned in the past his big game credentials, pointing to his Norm Smith. Mitchell, however, has now played 18 finals, experiencing 13 wins. He has been first tagged in every one (Ling, Crowley, etc) bar the '10 final vs Freo. Yet, he averages 28 possessions, 6 clearances and 5 tackles in finals, having had 29 plus in 12 of them and been BOG in most of these.
Mitchell has also been the best player in a side that has three flags, winning the B&F 4 times and finishing top 3 7 years running. Diesel won 2 B&F's and 1 premiership. Mitchell has gone past him on games, possessions, brownlow votes, tackles, etc.
The thing Diesel has over Mitchell (as everyone else does) is goals as Mitchell almost always looks for the pass, bringing others into the game.
So what does Bigfooty think? Is Mitchell the equal of Diesel?
Whilst some may see this as reactionary after a great GF, Mitchell has been compared to Diesel for over a decade. He is similarly short and slow(almost identical physical profile), is just as prolific a ball winner and specializes in clearance work. He has INCREDIBLE hands and vision second to none (including Diesel). He is a big game player and just very similar to Diesel.
My contention is that he is every bit as good and now his equal.
Some may argue:
• Diesel has 2 Brownlows, but Mitchell has collected 24 more Brownlow votes (which is 7 more than Diesel's winning total of 17) at a higher rate and is still going strong. He also has more BOG's
• Others may point to the MVP but this is a popularity contest and Diesel was the biggest headline grabber of his time whilst Mitchell is never in the spotlight. Diesel was part of two massive Buddy style defections, racial vilification scandals, illegal player payments and big tribunal cases that had him on front and back pages and talked about in the media 24/7. He was in the forefront of everybody's mind all the time and his games were watched extra close.
• Finally, people have mentioned in the past his big game credentials, pointing to his Norm Smith. Mitchell, however, has now played 18 finals, experiencing 13 wins. He has been first tagged in every one (Ling, Crowley, etc) bar the '10 final vs Freo. Yet, he averages 28 possessions, 6 clearances and 5 tackles in finals, having had 29 plus in 12 of them and been BOG in most of these.
Mitchell has also been the best player in a side that has three flags, winning the B&F 4 times and finishing top 3 7 years running. Diesel won 2 B&F's and 1 premiership. Mitchell has gone past him on games, possessions, brownlow votes, tackles, etc.
The thing Diesel has over Mitchell (as everyone else does) is goals as Mitchell almost always looks for the pass, bringing others into the game.
So what does Bigfooty think? Is Mitchell the equal of Diesel?
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