Both averaged 6 a game last year, with Mitchell averaging more contested possessions. Not sure your point. Let’s hope they match up on each other this year.
Mitchell is an incredible player in his own right, but he's 2 years older with 28 more games under his belt. He's a prolific ball winner in a way that Cripps will likely never be, but it's wrong to try and compare them using stats from 2017.
Cripps came into the season having virtually no preseason while recovering from a back injury and was slow to get going. He then continued to play through whilst having broken ribs for 6 weeks and a fractured jaw. He was just starting to get some consistency when he suffered a freak broken leg and only managed 14 games. Now I'm not saying this to try and build Cripps up as some goliath, but his season can definitely be considered below average and frustrating.
Whereas Mitchell had a career year and was one of the favourites for the Brownlow.
I'm not saying that one is better than the other, although Titch would have more runs on the board at the moment. All I'm saying is that it's pointless comparing them, especially on 2017 stats.
Cripps is currently injury free and doing a full preseason (possibly for the first time?). If there was a house nearby, some might say that he's training it down, whatever that means, so 2018 could be his best year if he can get a clean run at it (scary to think that he might top his 2016 numbers of 27 touches, 17 cont, 9 clearances and 6+ tackles).
This year is shaping up to be a good one for all 4 of the players if they can stay healthy and Mitchell, turning 25 in May, is entering his prime, so enjoy.