Once upon a time, Hawthorn star Tom Mitchell and Melbourne co-captain Jack Viney played in the same midfield together.

Pulling on the red and green guernsey of the Ashburton Redbacks, the midfield pair would torment any rivalling junior midfield they came up against, with reigning All Australian GWS Giant Toby Greene also in tow.

But, on Sunday, the dynamic duo was split, and each man was instead tasked with helping his respective club toward a win that they were equally desperate for.

The MCG forged the battleground for a fierce contest that needed every second to decide a winner.

Speaking to SEN, Mitchell described the exhilaration of coming up against his junior teammate, an unstoppable force when his game is firing as it was on Sunday.

“I really admire the way he goes about it,” Mitchell told the radio station. 

“He goes extremely hard at the footy and at his tackling.

“There were points in the game where we tried to nullify him a little bit but he still had a really good game.”

In the finish, both Mitchell and Viney’s games were virtually identical. 

Viney: 32 possessions, 16 of which were contested, seven clearances, 15 tackles, one rebound 50 and four inside 50s.

Mitchell: 31 possessions, 16 of which were contested, six clearances, 12 tackles, three rebound 50s and three inside 50s.

And Mitchell, the all-important four points when the siren sounded.

Read: Has Tom Mitchell had the best individual start to a Hawks' career in club history?

“It really came down to our mental toughness,” Mitchell said of the Hawks’ win.

“We knew there were going to be patches throughout the game that Melbourne, who are a quality team, would come at us hard.

“But it was pleasing that we are able to push back this time and we were able to hang on.”