HAWTHORN midfielder Sam Mitchell will play on in 2016 after signing a one-year contract extension.

Coming off another brilliant but challenging season, Mitchell appears ready to assert himself on the league once more as he prepares for his fourteenth season.

The 32-year-old hasn’t missed a beat so far this pre-season, playing in all three of Hawthorn’s NAB Challenge matches and picking up 20 or more disposals in each.

It appears the champion Hawk, who has already won three premierships, four best and fairest awards and been named All Australian twice, isn’t planning on slowing down any time soon.

He’s enjoying his footy as much as ever too, as the Hawks prepare for another assault on the ultimate success.

“It’s good to be at one club for such a long time,” Mitchell told hawthornfc.com.au on Wednesday.

“We’ve had success as a team and that always helps you enjoy your footy.

“When you’re winning and you’re building something, you find ways to enjoy your work and I’ve certainly been able to do that.”

As the fire still burns and hunger for success runs deep, Mitchell’s body, thankfully, is still able.

Scarily in fact, Mitchell says he still feels 25.

“At this stage I still do all the training, I’m still able to complete the whole pre-season without missing too much, which is always a strong indication,” he said.

“Everyone says the stronger your pre-season is, the more likely you are to be able to have a good season.

“I feel good – I feel 25 or the same way I have for the last 5-7 years.”

As the old cliché goes you’re only as good as the last game and whether you’re speaking officially or unofficially, Mitchell’s last outing for the Hawks encapsulates everything that has made Sam Mitchell the player well-respected and accomplished player he is.

In last year’s grand final win over Sydney, Mitchell was outstanding and narrowly missed out on the Norm Smith Medal – by one vote – to skipper, Luke Hodge.

In Hawthorn’s final pre-season hit-out against St Kilda, Mitchell did as he pleased on his way to an equal team-high 33 disposals.

It may have surprised some that Mitchell played in all Hawthorn’s season proper lead-in games but he says that match conditioning is critical to set up his year.

“I like to play as many games as I can,” Mitchell said.

“The game conditioning and recovering from games is the hardest part. If you get a little knock or a niggle and miss a game, you want to have something to fall back on.

“I was a bit scratchy in game one and not too much better in the next one but by the third game I felt I was running a little bit better.”

“To be able to play all three games and get some run into the legs has been good.”

Mitchell is the second Hawk in as many weeks to re-sign, with defender Josh Gibson signing on for 2016 last week.

Hawthorn opens its 2015 campaign against Geelong on Easter Monday.