AFL 2024: The rise of young Port Adelaide forward Mitch Georgiades

Last season was one to forget for Mitch Georgiades – dropped to the SANFL before tearing his ACL. But the young forward is writing a completely different story in 2024. He opens up on the rise and mental challenges along the way.

Port Adelaide’s forward line used to be ruled by King Charles.

Now, it’s the reign of King George.

Returning in April from an anterior cruciate ligament rupture, which ended his 2023 campaign, Mitch Georgiades had no real expectations or goals for 2024.

But as his fellow key forwards battle poor form, a drop in confidence or injuries, Georgiades has ascended to the throne as the leader of the Power’s forward line.

And the crown is looking good on him.

“King George, I’ll run with that absolutely,” Georgiades laughs as it is put to him at Alberton.

It is a moniker that Georgiades is referred to by his teammates at Alberton, where he is a much-loved member of the group – described as a bit of a “vibes curator” at the club.

On the field, Georgiades is now leading the Power’s forward line into battle.

Mitch Georgiades after kicking a goal this year. Picture: Mark Brake/Getty Images

And in the SANFL against the Crows. Picture: Sarah Reed

“I’d love to be a leader of the forward line, I’d like to be a leader of the team in the years to come,” he says.

“That is something I’d be up for, it is all about the on-field behaviours and playing consistent week-to-week footy and then the rest of it sort of takes care of itself.”

Georgiades is not just playing consistent week-to-week footy. His 33 goals so far is the most by any Port Adelaide player in 2024. It is already a career-high for the 22-year-old.

And it isn’t the only area where Georgiades has taken his game to new heights. His 10.9 disposals, 5.3 marks, 2.8 forward-50 marks and 5.3 score involvements per game are all career-highs, as is his 58 per cent shot-at-goal accuracy.

“It has been a bit of a surprise,” Georgiades says. “I came back this year probably not expecting to have my best season, purely based off not playing for a whole year.

“But I’m just enjoying it, really. That has been the No.1 thing for me, having it taken away last year and when you speak to lots of people they just speak about enjoying it (footy).

“And I think that (good form) has come off the back of it, not reading too much into everything but just doing your work.”

It is a stark contrast to 2023 for Georgiades.

When he suffered the year-ending ACL injury, he was actually in the SANFL after being dropped from the Power’s side after the Round 2 loss to Collingwood.

Considered as one of Port’s young guns, especially in the forward line, Georgiades was facing the first real test of his career.

“Right before I did my knee, everything seemed to be crashing down,” he says.

“I wasn’t in the best form … it wasn’t the best time in my footy career – or life in general.

“But now, you can almost say it was – not a blessing in disguise – but you can take the (positives out) of it somehow. I had a refresh for 12 months and got to love (footy) again and came back in with no real expectations, which was a good thing.”

Georgiades has taken over in Port Adelaide’s attack. Picture: James Elsby/AFL Photos

But while positives can be found from his time out of the game, early-on it was a struggle.

After the initial surgery on his knee, Georgiades needed to go back under the knife.

“I had to have a couple of extra operations, just a lot of scar tissue and minor things that were holding me back a little bit from returning to running and making everything slow (with the recovery). So it took a couple of extra weeks and months than expected.”

Patience wasn’t something that came readily.

“No-one is all that patient with an injury like that,” he says.

“It’s pretty tough and I think in the early days there was a stage when I was probably thinking ‘am I ever going to run again?’. So where I am now, it’s kind of hard to believe that I was there only 12 months ago and really struggling at times. It is a credit to the high-performance staff here (at Port Adelaide), the players and everyone around me really.”

While there were mental challenges early on, Georgiades did have some levers he could pull off the field to maintain his drive with all his time away from playing.

He increased the amount of work he was doing for his commerce degree at university.

He will soon do some work experience with former Power player Jack Trengove at Lanyon Asset Management.

Georgiades’ father John – who famously kicked eight goals on debut for Footscray in 1989 – has extensive experience in the financial sector in his home city of Perth.

“My parents are big on education and getting something away from the footy club,” he says.

“Dad is all over that stuff; he likes to remind me that he knows what he is talking about.”

Georgiades also did some coaching work with the forward line of Port’s SANFL team.

“It was good to see the game from a different perspective,” he says.

“I think that has probably been the thing that I have stood up this year – being able to communicate with players on the field and off the field in a better way.”

Georgiades is the “vibes curator” at Alberton. Picture: Mark Brake

The other big change in Georgiades’ game in 2024 has been the welcome return of his accuracy in front of goal. After an impressive 32.17 in 2021, he kicked 23.24 in 2022 and before he suffered his injury, had kicked 2.5 in 2023.

So far this year he is 33.20, with only two games in which he has not at least broke even when it comes to goals and behinds.

But the strange thing is that no changes have been made for this to happen.

“Nothing has changed, I mean obviously last year and the year before I struggled with accuracy but everything is the same with the routine and process,” he says.

“(But) we have done a lot of work on it this year, I have a really sound routine. I know what works and I feel really confident in games, so it has been nice.

“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t (lacking confidence in front of goal at one point), you probably don’t want to say the word, but you go through that period where you are doubting yourself a little bit. (But) it was probably a bit of a freshen-up not playing for a year.”

When he was injured last year, Georgiades and his Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley had a conversation, where the Power supremo said the young high-flyer doesn’t have to limit himself when he returned to the field. And with four games of the home and away season to go, and in the form of his life, Georgiades says he will keep this mantra.

“If you look at all the great players throughout their careers they have moments when they are kicking straight and moments when they aren’t, so it is about just fighting through and keep backing in what you do,” he says.

“Just trying to kick goals and kick straight and do what I can for the team and be an option in the forward line for us. Just playing my role, really.”