Past Player of the Week - Michael Mitchell

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I must be bored but when Mitchell took that mark, there was a guy in the #53....Does anyone know who that was?
I can't find anything on the www....
 

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Albert Ross said:
Barry Young http://afltables.com/afl/stats/games/1990/061419900425.html
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Interesting looking at the Fitzroy team in that match. Gary Pert CEO of Collingwood. Scott Clayton recruiting manager at Lions/Dogs/Suns. Paul Roos and Ross Lyon. Matt Rendell ex-Adelaide recruiting manager. Brett Stephens coach to Pete Sampras and others. Carl Dilena CEO of North Melbourne. Alistair Lynch player manager and commentator. John Blakey assistant coach at Sydney. Sort of makes a mockery of the importance of leadership and culture, doubt there was ever a group quite that well credentialled in leadership ever assembled.
 
WATiger86 said:
Mitchell and Wilson both attended a post match WA supporters group function a few years back - both spoke well, but Wilson did give the impression that as a passionate west australian, he was always going to play for the west coast if the opportunity arose!
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That's fair enough too. Rob Wiley did the same. From what I remember, Wilson always put in when he was on the ground in tiger colours.

Mitchell was a freak as a player. Just kept getting head knocks. :(
 
Was a freakish player that relied on his lightning speed and high marking. He was also a smart player. Evasive and knew where the goals where. He didn't bamboozle players like Maurice Rioli, because you could not corner him. He was just too quick. He played in some very average sides, and would have been in our best most weeks. From memory, Alan Bond bought Mitchell and Peter Wilson across as part of his "presidency". His highlight reel was a mark he took in WA where he stood on his opponent's shoulders - upright.

I think you look at how the game has evolved over the years, if any player would "fit into" today's game - It would be Michael Mitchell. You could pick his straight away in today's side. Oh the memories!
 
When Richmond recruited him, the coach (I'm pretty sure it was TJ) said 'He's the guy who goes around standing on other players heads'.

I don't think we ever used him properly. He should have been first rover - but we had Weightman, so fair enough. Typical Richmond - when we had Roach (best full-forward in the comp), we went out and got Brian Taylor (best full-forward not in the comp). When we had Raines (best centreman in the comp), we went out and got Rioli (best centreman not in the comp).
 
TigermanM2 said:
Mitchell was a freak as a player. Just kept getting head knocks. :(
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Yep. That's why he was finished at 26.

Wallaby said:
I don't think we ever used him properly. He should have been first rover - but we had Weightman, so fair enough. Typical Richmond - when we had Roach (best full-forward in the comp), we went out and got Brian Taylor (best full-forward not in the comp). When we had Raines (best centreman in the comp), we went out and got Rioli (best centreman not in the comp).
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The Taylor-Roach issue was the only one of those that was truly a problem, and even then Roach was quite capable of playing elsewhere. The Rioli-Raines thing was only ever a money issue. You didn't see Geelong saying, "we've already got Ablett, Bartel, Corey and Kelly, getting Selwood would just create a problem".
 
richoatthedisco said:
Yep. That's why he was finished at 26.

The Taylor-Roach issue was the only one of those that was truly a problem, and even then Roach was quite capable of playing elsewhere. The Rioli-Raines thing was only ever a money issue. You didn't see Geelong saying, "we've already got Ablett, Bartel, Corey and Kelly, getting Selwood would just create a problem".
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And Brian Taylor was 16 when recruited to Richmond, hardly grounds for calling him the best FF not in the comp. Michael Roach was only 20 and had played 12 games for 9 goals by then. so hardly the best FF in the comp either. The whole "Taylor left out of 1980 premiership for Roach" angle is BS too. Taylor played 1 game in 1980 for 2 kicks, 1 handball and 0 goals. Roach kicked 112 goals and won the Coleman.
 

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Albert Ross said:
And Brian Taylor was 16 when recruited to Richmond, hardly grounds for calling him the best FF not in the comp. Michael Roach was only 20 and had played 12 games for 9 goals by then. so hardly the best FF in the comp either. The whole "Taylor left out of 1980 premiership for Roach" angle is BS too. Taylor played 1 game in 1980 for 2 kicks, 1 handball and 0 goals. Roach kicked 112 goals and won the Coleman.
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Agree Al, although the angst is more directed at Taylor being left out of the 1982 GF, when he kicked 80-odd goals for the season, but I'm pretty sure he had an injury issue.
 
WATiger86 said:
Mitchell and Wilson both attended a post match WA supporters group function a few years back - both spoke well, but Wilson did give the impression that as a passionate west australian, he was always going to play for the west coast if the opportunity arose!
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In 1986 the WCE are formed. Peter Wilson (23yo) and Michael Mitchell play in the WA state of origin team and are named in All-Australian team chosen from those games. Wilson imagines he will be in the initial 32 man Eagles squad, particularly because his East Freo club coach is now Eagles coach and Wilson had been part of East Freo's 1985 premiership.

Having missed out his choices were 1. Be the last generation of player to sign directly with an AFL club or 2. Nominate for the first AFL draft with only the Eagles able to draft WA players. Wilson and Mitchell actually debut when Richmond play the Eagles in their first ever match.

If he went the draft route he had to contend with WCE having exclusive access to WA players in the 86 and 87 drafts ... and they had already passed on him so he might not get picked up until 1988 when he would have been 25. So he signs a 3 year deal with Richmond instead.

Richmond then traded him to the Eagles for pick 18 and 32.

So yes Wilson was always going to play with the Eagles if he could.
 
richoatthedisco said:
Agree Al, although the angst is more directed at Taylor being left out of the 1982 GF, when he kicked 80-odd goals for the season, but I'm pretty sure he had an injury issue.
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Sometimes knowing that BT never won a premiership, played in a grand final or played in a winning finals team is the one thing that gets me out of bed in the morning :D
 
Albert Ross said:
Interesting looking at the Fitzroy team in that match. Gary Pert CEO of Collingwood. Scott Clayton recruiting manager at Lions/Dogs/Suns. Paul Roos and Ross Lyon. Matt Rendell ex-Adelaide recruiting manager. Brett Stephens coach to Pete Sampras and others. Carl Dilena CEO of North Melbourne. Alistair Lynch player manager and commentator. John Blakey assistant coach at Sydney. Sort of makes a mockery of the importance of leadership and culture, doubt there was ever a group quite that well credentialled in leadership ever assembled.
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Actually that was a really good win for Richmond at that stage. Fitzroy had some gun players back then. I recently watched on YouTube an early-90's game of theirs v's Melbourne, and when you add Broderick, Armstrong, Butch Gale and one or two others, they really should have gone deeper into September. Sad really what happened within 5 years.
 
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