Elite or Not? Sam Mitchell

[BangBangBang]

Pretty simple, good player but is he elite?

Do you regard Sam Mitchell as elite in the AFL?

 

[Furn]

Define elite

 

[AG]

A grade mid but not sure if he is elite.

 

[Sekaj]

Elite at clearances.

 

[Mojo]

Staggering to believe a thread like this can come about. SO elite it is not funny.

 

[Duskfire]

Hodge and Franklin elite, followed by the A-graders of Mitchell, Sewell and Rioli.

 

[Pessimistic]

Can lift his form to elite but not a permanent member.

Disposal nearly got Jordan Lewis killed in round 3 -

That tackle of Tuck to beat Richmond came after dropping a sitter

has improved quite a bit since then. We mark him hard cos we know he can do it

For some reason he tends to get the best tagger which makes it a lot easier for guys like Sewell

 

[peternorth]

can you define elite? there's so many classes these days its hard to keep up.

does it go

elite
superstar
one of the greats
star
A grade
B grade
more than handy player
good bloke but probably not upto it

 

[Jesse Custer]

If he is not elite he is very, very close.

 

[Chewy]

Better than good.

Not the quickest, but one of the toughest. He won Hawthorn's best and fairest in 2009 playing the last two months with a separated shoulder. He won Hawthorn the game against the Bulldogs recently with a desperate final quarter and played the game out with a broken hand. Missed one match and returned last week with 35 possessions.

An elite ball-winner... One of the best at stoppages

An elite distributor.... Makes good decisions, hits his targets and is dual-sided

The best thing about Sammy Mitchell is that he hardly ever plays a bad game. He has received very little fanfare in 2010, nevertheless, he has played excellently as always and is averaging 28 disposals per game.

The All Australian selectors should be sacked for leaving him out of their team every season, especially when I think of all the spuds and one-year wonders they've selected over the years.

Criminally underrated.

 

[PumpyChowdown]

Knocking on the door of elite, but not there yet. Needs to bring a bit more consistancy to his game. Still, an outstanding player.

 

[Duskfire]

Well elite for me is the best of the best, or close to it. I can't see myself looking back at the Hawks in 20 years time and thinking, "Man, Mitchell was a great player." Hodge and Franklin on the other hand, definetly.

 

[jackess]

IMO the term 'elite' is thrown around way too much. For me the following are elite:

Ablett, Judd, Hodge, Pavlich, Scarlett, Lake, J. Brown, N. Riewoldt and Sandilands.

Also maybe at a pinch; J. Selwood, Cooney, Goodes and Franklin.

Mitchell is a very solid A grader but is not consistently damaging enough to be 'elite'.

 

[anti_]

top 20 in the AFL, i'd say that classes as elite.

 

[Skids]

A bloody good player. A grade? Well, if Jobe Watson is A grade then Mitchell certainly is. Elite? What separates an elite player from an A grader? Perhaps a name change would do it. Sam Ablett would be elite. Sam Hodge the same. Sam Franklin certainly. Seems to be the surname that's holding him back from elite status.

 

[hardcore_hawk]

Knocking on the door of elite, but not there yet. Needs to bring a bit more consistancy to his game. Still, an outstanding player.

Mitchell is the definition of consistent… no other player in our team is more consistent.

 

[walhawk]

Elite - a group of those of the highest quality, excellence, or standing.

Mitchell is elite.

 

[The Falcon Strike]

Staggering to believe a thread like this can come about. SO elite it is not funny.

As good as Hodge then?

 

[Guardian Hawk]

Gets the best tagger 90% of the time (ahead of Hodge, Sewell, etc)

I was particularly interested to see who Damian Hardwick rated in the Richmond - Hawthorn clash (having been in the inner-sanctum at Hawthorn for so long). Despite Hodge's far superior start to the year, Hardwick put the hard tag on Mitchell.

Tells me that the coaches rate Mitchell right up there/ elite. I tend to agree

 

[Xtreme]

Elite

Premiership captain and can lift/inspire the team to victory

 

[Guardian Hawk]

As good as Hodge then?

Many Hawthorn fans will think I'm committing treason, but before this year (and excluding a chunk of 2005 and 2008) Mitchell has been better than Hodge.

Hodge is more versatile and his best is better...but Mitchell is the first to the ball and at the bottom of packs (with a hard tag) week in, week out, year in, year out.

Chronically underratted for mine

 

[Rioli magic]

Mitchell is the definition of consistent… no other player in our team is more consistent.

Yeah and has been doing it for a long time. Averages more disposals over his career than Bartel, Ablett, Judd, Hayes, Black etc.

Stats aren't everything but it takes consitency to sit on top of that lot over a 10 year period.

 

[istillbelieve]

An elite clearance winner but not overall Elite, wouldn't be in Top 25 players in league.

 

[Chewy]

A bloody good player. A grade? Well, if Jobe Watson is A grade then Mitchell certainly is. Elite? What separates an elite player from an A grader? Perhaps a name change would do it. Sam Ablett would be elite. Sam Hodge the same. Sam Franklin certainly. Seems to be the surname that's holding him back from elite status.

This worked for Brian Harris. People used to laugh at Brian Harris, but nobody laughs at Brian Lake... not to his face anyway

If he changed his name to Sam Diesel, he'd probably win the next two Brownlows

 

[The Teacher]

Hodge and Franklin elite, followed by the A-graders of Mitchell, Sewell and Rioli.

That'll do me Duskfire, well summised.

Dicko