Mitch racks up another ‘stat’
The midfielder and co. celebrate a breakthrough win against Port
IT’S TAKEN a while – 96 games, in fact – but Sam Mitchell has now ticked off two more things on his AFL ‘to do’ list.
Before Sunday the Hawk ball-magnet had never played in a team which had beaten Port Adelaide. And he’d never played in a win at AAMI Stadium.
“They were the only team I’ve never beaten,” Mitchell said after the game. “From my draft – which is Hodgey, Browny, Rick Ladson – we’d never beaten Port Adelaide, so it’s good to finally get that off our back and get a win.”
The last time the Hawks had beaten Port was a few months before Mitchell entered the AFL via pick No.36 in the 2001 NAB AFL National “super draft”, which produced Luke Hodge, Chris Judd, Luke Ball, Jimmy Bartel, Nick Dal Santo and Gary Ablett Junior, among others.
Mitchell, 24, was a teenager making his way for Box Hill Hawks when Hawthorn scored that famous three-point semi-final win in 2001. Just three players who pulled on the boots for the Hawks that night did so on Sunday – Shane Crawford, Joel Smith and Ben Dixon, while Brent Guerra played for Port.
At first, it seemed things would go the same way they had in the seven encounters since then – all Port’s way. It took the Hawks four minutes to register a touch; seven minutes to get the ball past centre; and they trailed by 27 points during the first quarter.
“We just couldn’t get our hands on the footy,” Mitchell said.
But he never lost faith.
“We just thought if we could weather the storm and not have them completely demolish us in the first quarter, then with our work rate we’d be able to wear them down slowly, which seems to be the way we’re winning at the moment.
“It’s not always the prettiest footy, but we’re able to outwork sides, and the longer the game goes the better we get.”
So it proved, although it didn’t take as long as Mitchell envisaged for the Hawks to claw their way back.
An eight-goal second quarter inspired largely by Mitchell’s own work rate (10 possessions, on his way to a game-high 35) and some brilliance from Shane Crawford and Ben McGlynn saw the Hawks turn a 27-point deficit into a nine-point lead.
Mitchell paid tribute to his side’s two ruckmen for their role in the turnaround, after Brendan Lade had been brilliant for Port early.
“(Simon) Taylor and (Robert) Campbell both stepped up significantly after the first quarter. They had it put on them that they needed to tire him (Lade) out, because he is a very, very good ruckman.
“We had to take him out of his comfort zone and run him around and try and fatigue him as much as we could. I think it’s a credit to our two ruckmen that they were able to work him over.”
The stats back Mitchell. Port led the hit-outs 13-6 at quarter time; by game’s end, the Hawks were in front 34-31.
The Hawks now look toward hosting Sydney, and a clash with departed ruckman Peter Everitt. With the Hawks at 7-3 and Sydney under the pump at 5-5, it’s a huge game.
“It is a big game, especially against big Spider,” Mitchell said. “They’re still a very good side, one of the powerhouses of the competition. I certainly still rate them as a top-four side.”
