Sam Mitchell a brilliant player with a ruthless streak, writes Mark Robinson

THERE are competitors and there are cold-blooded killers, and Sam Mitchell played with a fierce attitude who was never afraid to tell the footy world what he was thinking, writes MARK ROBINSON.

Hawthorn premiership champ had a clean pair of hands in the contest.

THERE are competitors and there are cold-blooded killers.

Sam Mitchell swims with the killers.

If there was a moment when you realised Mitchell was cold-blooded, it was when he mock injected into his arm as he quarrelled with Essendon players during a match in 2015.

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Players had danced around the subject of the Bombers and drugs, fearful of retribution or condemnation, but not Mitchell. It revealed a character beyond being competitive.

It showed a man who, when he crossed the white line, put everything on the table. The good. The bad. The brilliant. The ruthless.

Essendon fans hated that act by Mitchell, and others thought it he was smart arse. But there was more than a smattering of footy fans who applauded his stance.

Sam Mitchell never liked losing a contest. Picture: Colleen Petch

Mitchell clearly thought the Essendon players were cheats and told the them so.

Mitchell was a proud card-carrying member, and sometimes leader, of the unsociable Hawks.

It’s why there were no beg pardons when Mitchell eventually was awarded the 2012 Brownlow Medal, after Essendon’s Jobe Watson handed his back.

“I guess we (with Trent Cotchin) accept the umpire’s call, and we’re both very proud to be Brownlow medallists,’’ he said.

He might as well have said: Such is life.

Mitchell was an old-time footballer in the sense that he gave it and he took it.

He was compared to Hall of Famer Greg Williams in stature and ability: Superb hands and vision, inventive in traffic, game awareness and an accumulator of the pill.

He was similar to “Diesel’’ in character, as well.

He hated to lose, not just matches, but to individual opponents and single contests.

They both sailed close and over the line to what was accepted on the field.

Williams, who played for Geelong. Sydney and Carlton, was reported 19 time for total loss of 34 games.

Mitchell taunting Essendon players by mimicking an injection. Picture: Fox Sports

Mitchell was charged 11 times, was found not guilty once and, overall, received just a one-game suspension.

That was for striking Luke Ball in 2005.

Clearly, when Diesel went hunting he didn’t miss and have to say that one week lost to suspension across 300-plus games for Mitchell is surprising — in that it was only a week.

Mitchell was charged with wrestling, kneeing (twice), striking (three times), negligent contact with an umpire (twice), tripping, hair pulling and rough conduct.

As Maxwell Smart would say, the good outweighs the evil in Mitchell.

Sam Mitchell accepting his Brownlow Medal with Trent Cotchin. Picture: Getty Images

His sidestep was at professional dance sports level, his stoppage work was uncanny, his short-ball use was the best in the business and I can’t recall a player who controlled the direction, speed and flow of ball movement like Mitchell did at Hawthorn.

This from a bloke who wasn’t handed a contract at 18 and instead was overlooked for the draft and had to work through the VFL before embarking on one of the truly great careers, not just at Hawthorn but in all AFL. What an admirable story.

He’s a West Coast man now, but forever he will be remembered as a Hawthorn player who lived and breathed football, who didn’t keep prisoners and who along the way became a champion.

Like him or not, there’s no denying his place in football.

It’s comfortably right beside Diesel, if not a fraction ahead.

SAM MITCHELL: 16 YEARS AT THE TOP

Age: 34

Clubs: Hawthorn (2002-2016), West Coast (2017)

Honours:

— Brownlow Medal (2012)

— Third in Brownlow Medal (2015)

— Hawthorn best and fairest (2006, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2016)

— Second best and fairest (2008)

— Third best and fairest (2010, 2013, 2015)

—All-Australian (2011, 2013, 2015)

— AFL Rising Star (2003)

— Liston Trophy (2002)

— Four premierships (2008, 2013, 2014, 2015)

— Hawthorn captain (2008-2010)

Games: 323 (Hawthorn 307, West Coast 16)

Goals: 69 (Hawthorn 67, West Coast 2)

Career Brownlow Medal votes: 220, equal most with Gary Ablett under the current 3-2-1 system with one vote card per game

Where he rates in stats since his debut 2002 season:

Disposals — 8530, #1st

Kicks — 4449, #1st

Handballs — 4081, #1st

Clearances — 1775, #1st

Score Involvements — 2213, #6th

Source: Champion Data