With the news that Sam Mitchell will be attending this year’s Peter Crimmins Medal, we thought we should catch ourselves up on how the four-time premiership Hawk fared in season 2017…

After being traded to West Coast in last year’s trade period, Mitchell set himself for the 16^th season of his illustrious career.

One of his first official commitments as an Eagle came in December, when he and Richmond’s Trent Cotchin were retrospectively awarded the 2012 Brownlow Medal.

The 34-year old was then quick to introduce himself to his new side’s fans, when he gathered 38 disposals in the opening round of the season against North Melbourne.  

It would be the first of five games this season that Mitchell broke the 30-possesssion threshold.

With Round 5 set to be Mitchell’s homecoming against the Hawks, the five-time Peter Crimmins Medallist was left “in despair” as he failed to prove his fitness ahead of the clash at the MCG.

Mitchell was unable to overcome an ankle injury he suffered the previous week against Sydney.

That game and the Eagles’ Round 18 clash against Collingwood were the only games that Mitchell missed this year.

In Round 10 against GWS, Mitchell broke Saint Robert Harvey’s record of 118 matches with at least 30 disposals.

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Mitchell would finish his career with 121 such games against his name. 

In the Eagles’ clash with Carlton in Round 21, Mitchell again etched his name into the record books when he became the most prolific handballer in the game’s history, surpassing Western Bulldog Scoot West’s career tally of 4,093.

The midfielder finished his career with 4,155 total handballs, averaging 12.6 per game across his 329-game career. 

A dramatic Round 23 win over minor premiers Adelaide qualified the Eagles into an unlikely finals berth, ensuring Mitchell competed in his eighth consecutive finals series.

The veteran experience of retirees Mitchell, Matt Priddis and Drew Petrie against Port Adelaide in their elimination final shone through as the trio were able to extend their careers a further week. 

But the following week, the Eagles ran into a rampant GWS Giants, intent on avenging their ordinary performance against Adelaide in their qualifying final the previous week.

The Giants were simply too strong for the Eagles, signalling the end of Mitchell’s stellar 329-game career.

The 34-year old finished the year with a disposal average of 26.9, the second highest at the Eagles behind only Andrew Gaff (29.7).