Sydney has solved its lack of leg speed problems by trading away Tom Mitchell to Hawthorn

SYDNEY has still emerged as big winners as a result of trading Tom Mitchell to Hawthorn and premiership hero Tadhg Kennelly reveals why it’s gone a long way to solving a major issue for the Swans.

Tom Mitchell had 50 disposals against Collingwood. Picture: Wayne Ludbey

TRADING away a player who can pick up 50 possessions a game might not look like good business, but Tadhg Kennelly is convinced the Swans have come out of the Tom Mitchell deal better off because they have addressed their need for speed in the midfield.

Swans premiership player Kennelly believes there wasn’t room for Mitchell in the same midfield as Josh Kennedy and Luke Parker.

“This deal has been a win for both clubs,” Kennelly said.

“Josh Kennedy, Luke Parker and Tom Mitchell are all similar types, they’re all ball magnets but not quick. You can’t have three players like that in the same midfield group.”

The Swans’ lack of speed through the middle of the ground was exposed in both their losing Grand Finals against the Western Bulldogs last year and Hawthorn in 2014.

Tom Mitchell had 50 disposals against Collingwood. Picture: Wayne Ludbey

Luke Beveridge and Alastair Clarkson both worked the ball into the wide open spaces of the MCG where Sydney couldn’t compete with players like Bulldog Jason Johannisen and Hawks Bradley Hill and Cyril Rioli.

Kennelly says trading away Mitchell has enabled them to change the look of their midfield and add pace.

“What they’ve done by putting Zak Jones in there, Isaac Heeney in there, Jake Lloyd in there and George Hewett is give them more mobility,” Kennelly said.

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“The big move is Zak Jones, he’d be leading the best and fairest. Isaac Heeney really arrived as a midfielder in September last year so the club were thinking they can move him in there to replace him and in 12 months’ time Callum Mills will be moved through there. The Swans are planning that far ahead.”

Mitchell was one of the first of a massive 39 trades in the lead-up to the draft where the Swans received picks 14 and 52 for the gun midfielder and pick 57.

The Swans then traded up to picks 11 and 21, where they were able to draft Oliver Florent and Will Hayward who have also added leg speed.

Zak Jones has been in outstanding form for the Swans and added a new dimension to the midfield. Picture: Phil Hillyard

Mitchell has come under heavy scrutiny this week for a perceived lack of penetration with his 50 disposals. Kennelly believes the criticism is off the mark.

“There was an enormous lack of respect to Tom after the weekend’s match,” Kennelly said.

“If the Hawks had won that game it would have been a different story and it wasn’t Tom’s fault they didn’t. He dominated the match in the first half and that was one of the reasons they were in front.”

The Irishman points to Mitchell’s relative lack of experience as an element to his disposal inefficiency.

“Tom will continue to get his possessions and improve naturally with his disposals,” Kennelly said. “He will become more composed and be better with his ball use. He’s only a kid still.”

Originally published as Sydney has solved its lack of leg speed problems by trading away Tom Mitchell to Hawthorn