Having grown up as the son of an AFL star, Tom Mitchell has followed in his father's footsteps to cement himself as one of the best players in the game.
The son of former Sydney Swans player Barry, Tom grew up in Melbourne before relocating to Western Australia as a 15-year-old, where he played his formative years of football with Claremont in the WAFL.
A natural ball magnet capable of amassing huge disposal numbers through his innate reading of the play, he was drafted to the Swans under the father-son rule in 2011. He made his AFL debut in 2013, after having to work hard to find a spot in a star-studded Sydney premiership midfield.
After 65 games in four seasons with the Swans (including the 2016 Grand Final), Tom moved to Melbourne and made an immediate impact in his first season with Hawthorn, breaking the VFL/AFL record for the most disposals in a home and away season – an incredible 787 – on his way to his first All-Australian blazer and Peter Crimmins Medal as Hawthorn’s Best & Fairest.
Incredibly, he took his game to yet another level in 2018, becoming the first player to have multiple 50+ disposal games in a season and smashing his own record for most disposals in a season (home and away and finals), with 825 over 24 games.
It was a remarkable performance that earned him the game’s most prestigious award, the Brownlow Medal and he was also voted by his peers to be the AFLPA’s Most Valuable Player. A second All-Australian selection and club Best & Fairest rounded out a stellar season.
Still just 27 years of age, Mitchell has the opportunity to cement himself as one of the great ball-winners of all time as he helps the Hawks return to premiership contention in the seasons to come.
Off the field Tom has a love for health and fitness, travel, sport, fashion and animals. He loves spending time with his two dogs Macy and Nala, whom he credits to helping him during one of his darkest moments; having broken his leg in 2019.
Mitchell also loves playing all sorts of card games (with Uno being his favourite), loves reading books (especially about his favourite basketball players) and has been lucky enough to travel all over the world. With a keen interest in Strength and Conditioning, he is completing a degree in Exercise Science with an interest in pursuing a post-playing career in mentoring and coaching.
Mitchell is an ambassador for Asics, Nissan and Telstra, and is the first Australian lifestyle ambassador for Californian-based brand TOMS. He was particularly attracted to the organisation’s community-minded philosophy and values, which centre around giving back to the community and those in need.
He also is passionate about mental preparation and regularly shares his personal stories and tips on how to maximize your output in any field of endeavour through focus, preparation, and the importance of diet, sleep and goal-setting.
It’s an incredible feeling to have received the Brownlow alongside players I idolised as a kid… it’s such a surreal feeling
