Achieving this milestone, captaining a Premiership team and winning three Best and Fairest awards places him amongst the truly elite names in the history of the Club.
Mitchell will become the fourth Hawk to reach the 200-game milestone at the MCG, but the first to do so in a home and away game. Don Scott played his 200th game in style, captaining the Hawks to victory in the 1976 Grand Final, while Alan Martello (178) and Geoff Ablett (1982) played theirs in Qualifying Finals.
Prior to Mitchell, the most recent Hawthorn player to reach 200 games was Ben Dixon, who did so at Docklands in Round 21 2007 - a game that saw Hawthorn thrash the Bulldogs by 84 points, after trailing by a goal at half-time. Other 200th games in the past decade were played by Mark Graham (2003) and Shane Crawford (2002).
While there have been 25 Hawks to play 200 games, there have only been 24 milestone games - Robert Dipierdomenico and John Kennedy Jnr. played their 200ths on the same day in 1988. Generally 200th game days have been happy occasions, with Hawthorn winning 16 and losing just 8.
It is important to note, that due to earlier methods of counting state games, some previous 200 games milestones were celebrated on different occasions to when historians now recognise them having been achieved.
Also scheduled to reach a significant club milestone this week is Jordan Lewis, who will become the first of the three early picks in the 2004 National Draft to reach 150 games. Lewis (pick 7) is ahead of Lance Franklin (pick 5) on 144 games and Jarryd Roughead (pick 2) on 137 games. Lewis will be the 55th Hawthorn player to reach 150 games.
In another milestone this week, Shaun Burgoyne will play his 200th AFL game - 157 with Port Adelaide and 43 with Hawthorn. Burgoyne has, to date, played 42 of a possible 43 Hawthorn games since his debut in Round 8 2010 - only missing when rested in Round 24 against Gold Coast last season. An interesting stat from Burgoyne’s career is that he played in winning teams in his first 14 games at Port and in his first 7 with the Hawks.
Hawthorn is beginning the 2012 season with games against the three opponents it lost to in 2011. Having beaten Collingwood in Round 1, victory against Adelaide on Sunday will mean that (excluding GWS), Hawthorn has a current winning sequence against every club bar one (Geelong).
Games between Hawthorn and Adelaide in Melbourne have often been thrillers. Most would recall the 2007 Elimination Final at Docklands, which the Hawks won by 3 points afte a last-minute r Lance Franklin goal. There was also a 5 point win at the MCG in 2003, and a come-from-behind 9 point triumph at Waverley in 1996.
Hawthorn has played only four home games against Adelaide at the MCG, winning in 2000 and 2003, but losing in 2004 and 2009. Hawthorn also lost an MCG Final to Adelaide in 1993. Overall, however, Hawthorn has a sound record in home games against the Crows, winning 9 and losing 6. With the ledger squared at 1-1 in finals, a poor 3-11 away record sees the Hawks trailing the Crows overall, 13 to 18 after 31 games.
60 years ago, in Round 3 1952, Hawthorn recorded an upset win against Melbourne at the MCG kicking 10.14.74 to 8.12.60.
40 years ago, in Round 3 1972, the Hawks won their third consecutive game, beating Geelong by 42 points at Waverley. In the process, they went to the top of the ladder - ahead of the only other unbeaten team, Essendon on percentage. In the absence of Peter Hudson, stand-in full-forward Charlie Grummisch kicked 5 goals.
30 years ago, Round 3 1982, Hawthorn kicked a then Club record score and winning margin as they thrashed Footscray by 143 points - 28.26.194 to 7.9.51. In his first game since crossing from Melbourne, Michael Byrne kicked 8 goals, easily a record for a Hawthorn debut while Leigh Matthews contributed 6 majors. Others in the best players were David Polkinghorne, Gary Buckenara, Richard Loveridge and Kelvin Moore. Just like 10 years earlier, the win put Hawthorn on top, this time ahead of Richmond on percentage.
20 years ago, Round 3 1992, the Hawks recorded a regulation 26 point win over North Melbourne at Waverley. John Platten’s 27 disposal game saw him secure the 3 Brownlow votes.
Round 3 2002, saw the Hawks finally secure their first win of the season, overcoming a three-quarter time deficit, to secure a battling 10 point win against Fremantle in Launceston. Shane Crawford was best-on-ground.
That 2002 game was actually the last time, before this season that Hawthorn was scheduled to play a home game in Round 3. In the nine intervening seasons, when the Hawks played away, the record was still a positive five wins and four losses. In Round 3 last season, Hawthorn defeated Richmond by 63 points. Overall, Hawthorn has won 44 and lost 43 in Round 3.
Jason Dunstall had an excellent record against Adelaide. He kicked 9 goals on three occasions - in 1993,1994 and in 1996. He also kicked an 8 and a 7 against the Crows. The best by a current player against Adelaide is 7 - the unforgettable 7 goals booted by Lance Franklin in the 2007 Elimination Final.
The record for Round 3 is 11 kicked by Leigh Matthews against Essendon at Waverley in 1973. Michael Moncrieff had a particular liking for Round 3, kicking 10 in both 1974 against South Melbourne and 1976 againstCollingwood.
