PRACTICE match?
Try telling that to Sam Mitchell.
The star midfielder sent an ominous warning to the competition ahead of 2016, racking up a phenomenal 45 disposals in the Hawks’ 45-point win against North Melbourne in their final NAB Challenge game for 2016.
It's a new benchmark for the most disposals in an AFL pre-season match.
The evergreen 33-year-old averaged 31.2 disposals during 2015, and in his first two matches of 2016, has shown no signs of letting up.
After 29 disposals in NAB Challenge 1 against Carlton, Mitchell was at his brilliant best against the Kangaroos, dominating the match between the arcs from start to finish.
Complementing his 45 disposals were seven inside 50s, six rebound 50s
From an individual and team perspective, the star Hawk said it was perfect preparation for the season proper.
“You want to know going into Round 1 that you’re fit enough and that you’re in a little bit of form with your teammates,” Mitchell told hawthornfc.com.au post-game.
“It was great to see a few young guys get some opportunities and put their hands up, so it was good to finish the pre-season on a high.
“You always try to play well – and for me it was just about making sure I was moving around okay.
“I wanted to be making good decisions with the ball and getting back into the swing of things, and I was able to do that.”
Approaching his 15th AFL season, the 285-game veteran said he was still determined to keep improving his game.
“Every pre-season, you’re always working on new things and trying to improve in different areas,” Mitchell said.
“Physically I’m probably not going to be able to improve too much on what I’ve been able to do, so it’s all about being able to play a little bit smarter and work on my skill level to try to add another string to the bow.”
There’s plenty of excitement around the group at the moment according to Mitchell, with young players across all lines pushing for selection ahead of a Round 1 blockbuster against Geelong.
“It’s exciting for them, and it’s exciting for us as older guys to see some new blood coming into the team,” he said.
“We’re obviously kicking to a pretty different forward line without David Hale up there and without Roughy at the moment, so kicking into that new set-up is something we’re getting used to.
“Those guys are playing their roles pretty well, they’re learning their way still and they’re probably pretty lucky there’s a fair bit of experience around them up forward trying to help them out.”
The likes of Billy Hartung, Daniel Howe, Blake Hardwick and James Sicily all showed promising signs against the Kangaroos, as did Jonathan O’Rourke, who received a big wrap from Mitchell.
“I think Jono O’Rourke is set for a really big year,” he said.
“He’s really taken the opportunity that’s come his way over the pre-season, he’s really been playing in the right manner and going about it in the right way.
“Hopefully those young guys are going to get to play a bit more footy this year.
“We’re in a good position – the pre-season is about getting right for the big stuff. Now we’ve got two weeks and two days to get right for Round 1 and the Cats.”
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