Hawthorn star midfielder Tom Mitchell has once again been crowned a Peter Crimmins Medallist.
The award marks Mitchell’s third Peter Crimmins Medal, having first achieved the accolade in his debut year at the brown and gold in 2017, followed by his Brownlow-winning season in 2018.
The ball-magnet topped the count and finished clear on 161 votes, ahead of runner-up and reliable defender Blake Hardwick (126), followed by Vice Captain Jaeger O’Meara (121) who sat five votes behind in third place.
Coming off the back of impressive seasons, small forward Dylan Moore (101) and dependable mid-forward Chad Wingard (100) were praised for their consistent efforts across the year finishing fourth and fifth respectively.
Featuring in all 22 matches of Hawthorn’s fixture, Mitchell had an immaculate 2021 campaign that saw him accumulate the highest number of disposals across the competition with an average of 34.3 touches per game, alongside a rate of 4.8 tackles and 4.1 inside 50s.
Hawks reveal club award winners at 2021 PCM
Mitchell, who is now one of nine players in the history of the club to win three Peter Crimmins Medals, said he was honoured to have taken out the medal again.
“There has been so many great players who have come before the current playing group of this great club, it’s a nice recognition for some hard work," Mitchell said.
“I think coming from a pretty disappointing year last year in 2020, we wanted to climb the ladder.
“Obviously the first half of the year was a bit of a struggle for us, we didn’t play too well but from then on I think we really showed some true character.
“The playing group was amazing, we won six games in the back-half of the year and had a few draws against some quality opposition - I think that is really exciting for next year and beyond."
Round 21 witnessed one of his best performances of the year as the efficient midfielder collected a stockpile of 44 possessions, 10 marks, eight clearances and one goal to help the Hawks triumph over the Magpies by 19 points.
In the Hawks’ final game of the season, Mitchell celebrated his 150th game in style when he amassed a game-high 36 touches as the team drew with the Tigers at the MCG.
The 28-year-old received league-wide nods when he earned a spot in the All Australian 40-man squad, two years on from suffering a broken leg that quickly abolished his 2019 season.
Mitchell spoke of his rebound following on from his challenging injury during his speech on the night.
“That was a difficult time, I would’ve thought I’d be standing here again that’s for sure,” Mitchell said.
“I still have memories of going through that rehab, and the medical team obviously did a great job in getting me back.
“But there were difficult times - I think I was nine months into my rehab, of what ended up being around 18 months, and I was still really sore just walking, lesser-known running or playing footy.
“To look back and know how far I’ve come since then is something I’m proud of."
Mitchell's hard-ball efforts didn’t go unnoticed by the Hawthorn faithful either, gaining an extraordinary six club MVP honours across the season, as voted by fans each week.
Other awards from the night went to emerging forward and AFL Rising Star nominee Jacob Koschitzke who received Best First Year Player, alongside defender Sam Frost who was deemed the Most Consistent Player.
Despite suffering a season-ending PCL injury in Round 17, Changkuoth Jiath was awarded the club’s Most Promising Player while Captain Ben McEvoy was judged Best Clubman in his debut season as skipper.
Hawthorn CEO Justin Reeves applauded this evening’s winners following a season that required much adaptability as a result of interstate and local COVID-19 lockdowns.
“This season saw our players endure a lot of change as they were faced with rolling fixtures and varied schedules week-to-week,” Reeves said.
"While working through these challenges, our players continued to perform and still achieve their own individual honours whether that be a game-high statistic, an AFL Mark of the Year or Rising Star nomination, or simply putting in a hundred percent of their effort and more each round.
“To accomplish and celebrate these successes across the 2021 season is testament to the work ethic of our playing group and their ability to adjust.
“Well done to Tom on taking home his third Peter Crimmins medal and congratulations to all of the award winners on their incredible seasons.”
Peter Crimmins Medal Top 10
Tom Mitchell – 161
Blake Hardwick – 126
Jaeger O’Meara – 121
Dylan Moore – 101
Chad Wingard – 100
Sam Frost – 95
Daniel Howe – 83
Changkuoth Jiath – 79
Liam Shiels & James Worpel – 74
Luke Breust - 73
Votes for the 2021 Peter Crimmins Medal were awarded by four groups after each home-and-away match; Senior Coach Alastair Clarkson, Assistant Coach Brendon Bolton, Assistant Coach Chris Newman and Assistant Coach Craig McRae.
A maximum of 16 votes can be accumulated by a player after the four voting cards are submitted using the following grading system: three votes to the best player or players, two votes for a good game, one vote to players who beat their opponents. On rare occasions a player may receive 4 votes for an exceptional game.
