Hawthorn hopes Tom Mitchell will play in Round 1 in return from broken leg
Tom Mitchell’s return from a horror broken leg has been slow, but assistant coach Sam Mitchell has seen a significant change in the Brownlow medallist on the track this year.
AFL
Don't miss out on the headlines from AFL. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Hawthorn assistant coach Sam Mitchell says Tom Mitchell is “looking pretty sharp” and the Hawks are planning for the Brownlow medallist to return in Round 1.
Donning the blue hat at training, Mitchell has started to join in match play with his teammates more than 12 months after suffering a horrific broken leg at training.
After a slow progression recovering from the double break of his tibia and fibula bones in his left leg, Mitchell said the star onballer was now getting back to the “Tommy that we’re used to”.
While still unsure of when, Mitchell said he expected the star Hawk to feature at some stage during the club’s pre-season campaign.
“Tom is going well, he is on track,” Mitchell said today.
“He had a pretty slow progression over a bit over 12 months now, but he is in good spirits and has started to do some match play and dons the blue hat (at training) to make sure that no one is cannoning into him too much.
“He has started to be the normal Tommy that we’re used to, he is finding a bit of the footy at training.
“It’s going to be a slow burn with him and make sure we get him back and slowly and in the right way, but he is in a really good place. He’s able to do most of the sessions now which he has been really keen to do and he has started to lead the way as far as preparation goes again.”
Watch every match of the Marsh Community Series AFL pre-season comp LIVE & On-Demand on KAYO. New to Kayo? Get your 14-day free trial & start streaming instantly >
Asked if Mitchell was a chance to return for Round 1, Mitchell said the club was working towards that goal.
“I really hope so as midfield coach because he is certainly looking pretty sharp,” he said.
“I think he is a realistic chance … the plan at this point is that he will be ready for that time and to play some time in the pre-season games and he’ll be ready for Round 1.
“The way I have watched him train, I would think that you would probably see him before Round 1 in some description … it might not be for 120 minutes, but I think we are likely to see him.”
Meanwhile, Mitchell said recruit Jonathon Patton was training well and expected the big forward to feature in the pre-season series. Patton has not played an AFL game since Round, 15, 2018.
“Big Jon is going well, he has trained really strongly,” Mitchell said.
“His last couple of weeks have been really good, started to really see some good things. (He) kicked a couple of goals in our intra-club a couple of days ago.
“He will certainly spend some time out on the field in the Marsh series.”
Mitchell said young forward Mitch Lewis had recovered from late-season shoulder surgery and progressed to full training before copping a stray kick to the thigh.
“He is back into ball work … he’s in full physicality now,” Mitchell said.
MORE AFL NEWS:
SuperCoach: The leading POD contenders for season 2020
Richmond’s Jack Higgins feared he would never walk again after brain surgery
Lachie Neale works on beating taggers as Lions learn circus skills
“He’s not training today, but that’s because he got kicked in the thigh, so he’s missing with something different, so everything is on track with him.”
Jarman Impey has progressed in his recovery from an anterior cruciate ligament injury and was running laps around the oval at Waverley Park today. The Hawks hit the training track early to beat the heat ahead of today’s scorcher.
Tom Mitchell is a $630,900 midfielder in KFC SuperCoach. Register for free and start picking your team now!
Originally published as Hawthorn hopes Tom Mitchell will play in Round 1 in return from broken leg
Ablett family reveal details of son’s condition
Jordan and Gary Ablett had been reluctant to discuss many details about their little boy’s heartbreaking condition until now.
Injury-hit Demons stun Crows in Norwood thriller
Struck down by a host of injuries across their team, the Dees have managed to keep their AFLW season alive by pulling off a thrilling victory over the Crows.