I'm loath to make denouncements based on two games, but they have been two very disappointing games after what was a breakout 2014. I'm not sure why Mitch has seen so little of the footy - if he's been kept predominantly up forward, please correct me - but what I do know is that he has had very little influence this year for a player who has just crossed the 100-game mark.
The measure of a good player is to play well, but the measure of a very good player is to play well when the rest of the team does not. The knock on Mitch has always been that he's a receiver rather than a ball winner in his own right, but I thought this had started to change last year. This year, we've had two games against extremely strong midfields, and he hasn't so much as fired a shot.
I get that he's not naturally a heavy-set tank like a Guthrie or a Caddy (who have been good so far), but neither was Joel Corey and if the ball's not coming your way you cannot wait for it to do so. In a midfield with so few players in that 26 to 29 age bracket, we need players like Duncan to turn the game to our advantage and this year it has been disappointing.
The measure of a good player is to play well, but the measure of a very good player is to play well when the rest of the team does not. The knock on Mitch has always been that he's a receiver rather than a ball winner in his own right, but I thought this had started to change last year. This year, we've had two games against extremely strong midfields, and he hasn't so much as fired a shot.
I get that he's not naturally a heavy-set tank like a Guthrie or a Caddy (who have been good so far), but neither was Joel Corey and if the ball's not coming your way you cannot wait for it to do so. In a midfield with so few players in that 26 to 29 age bracket, we need players like Duncan to turn the game to our advantage and this year it has been disappointing.