Tom Mitchell is poised to win Hawthorn’s best-and-fairest by a runaway margin

HAWTHORN recruit Tom Mitchell is on track to win the his first best-and-fairest by a runaway margin after a stunning debut season at the Hawks.

Tom Mitchell has starred in his first season at Hawthorn.

HAWTHORN recruit Tom Mitchell is on track to win the club’s best-and-fairest by a runaway margin after opening up a stunning gap on teammates in coaches’ voting.

Mitchell has polled 54 votes in a remarkable first season at Waverley, more than double the next best, veteran Shaun Burgoyne (23).

Burgoyne, 34, is headed towards back-to-back top-three finishes in the Peter Crimmins Medal, guaranteeing the evergreen playmaker the option to play on next season.

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Retiring champion Luke Hodge is in seventh-place in the voting in his 16th and final season. Rising Star favourite Ryan Burton is third.

Mitchell’s result is an emphatic endorsement of the move to snare the clearance king in last year’s trade period in exchange for Sydney’ No.16 draft pick.

Mitchell, who is the AFL’s top possession winner with an average 36 disposals a game, has stormed into third-favourite for the Brownlow Medal ($13) at TAB.

Tom Mitchell gets a handball away while being tackled by Adam Treloar.

While Hawthorn’s two other big-name recruits Jaeger O’Meara and Tyrone Vickery have struggled with form and fitness, Mitchell, 24, has shot clear as the trade of the year.

The Herald Sun can reveal the former Swan signed a five-year deal, tying him to Hawthorn until 2021.

And he is in red-hot form coming into Saturday’s blockbuster against Geelong and Brownlow favourite Patrick Dangerfield and superstar captain Joel Selwood at the MCG.

The centre square showdown will be a fascinating sub-plot as Hawthorn attempts to remain in finals contention, currently six points outside the eight in 13th spot.

The Hawks will be out to claim a big scalp in Hodge’s 300th match on Saturday after receiving an 86-point hammering from the Cats in Round 4.

Mitchell has been voted best-on-ground in the Hawks’ past two games and has racked up at least 30 touches in 14 of 15 outings this year.

Tom Mitchell has averaged 36 disposals a game this season. Picture: Wayne Ludbey

Hodge said the ball magnet’s form has gone to another level in the past month as his understanding of Alastair Clarkson’s system and connection with teammates improves.

“His last five or six weeks he is starting to understand where his teammates are going to be,” Hodge said on Fox Footy.

“The game where he had 50 (possessions against Collingwood), I probably agree that (Scott) Pendlebury was the best player on the ground in that game.

“But his last month of football he has been consistently one of our best players.”

AFL COACHES VOTES

HAWKS TOP FIVE

54 - Tom Mitchell

23 - Shaun Burgoyne

13 - Ryan Burton

12 - Ben McEvoy

11 - James Sicily