Hawthorn announces two-year contract extension for coach Sam Mitchell

Sam Mitchell has been rewarded for guiding Hawthorn from 0-5 to the cusp of a preliminary final with a contract extension that will tie him to the club until at least 2027.

Sam Mitchell has declared Hawthorn is “just getting started” in its climb up the ladder as the coach ticked off a two-year contract extension.

Hawthorn’s breakout 2024 season, which led to a semi-final defeat, saw Mitchell rewarded with a new deal, announced by president Andy Gowers at the club best-and-fairest on Saturday night.

But the coach was not interested in resting on laurels as he admitted he had “struggled to move completely past” the September semi-final loss to Port Adelaide.

INSIDE STORY: HOW THE CLARKSON, MITCHELL SUCCESSION WENT DOWN

“(The 2024 season) was a good year, it was a really good year, an enjoyable year,” Mitchell said.

“I think most of us had fun for the most of it.

“But we’re just getting started.”

Mitchell enforced that the work the Hawks had done to get from the bottom reaches of the ladder to a sixth-placed finish was impressive, but there were tougher steps to come.

Yet the coach told the Hawks fans, officials and players in the room that his team was not that far off premier Brisbane Lions.

Sam Mitchell enjoys Hawthorn’s elimination final victory. Picture: Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images

“The players know this but going from six to one is going to be a bigger, steeper part of our journey,” he said.

“It’s as exciting a mountain as you could possibly have right in front of us right now.

“We know we have work to do in front of us and we know the only thing we have left to do to get to the next step is the work.

“We all watched that (grand final) and for the first time we all said to ourselves … we would not at all look out of place out there.”

The extension, as forecast by the Herald Sun last Sunday, will see Mitchell in charge of the Hawks until the end of 2027.

“Our senior coach Sam Mitchell has recently put pen to paper … it’s an important autograph to get,” Gowers told the room to applause.

Mitchell surprised the entire football world by guiding the Hawks to the top eight after a 0-5 start.

Sam Mitchell has signed a contract extension. Picture: Michael Klein

The former star player was due to come out of contract at the end of 2025 but it was widely expected the Hawks would lock him down to a multi-year deal before the end of the calendar year.

Mitchell stuck fat with a list that was hollowed out in his first two years at the club, winning a combined 15 matches, before doubling that with 15 wins in the 2024 season, including finals.

“Having seen the growth and development in the young group under Sam in his first three years we are very confident in the direction of our club with Sam at the helm,” Gowers said.

Not only did Mitchell’s Hawks turn their season on its head after the 0-5 start, the famed ‘Hokball’, free flowing style won over the football world.

Hokball is alive at the 'G! 💪#AFLBluesHawkspic.twitter.com/Gt4tdQzaOp

— AFL (@AFL) August 11, 2024

And the young side shows little sign of slowing down, having won the free agency fight for Saints defender Josh Battle, as well as an expected trade for Eagles defender Tom Barrass.

Gowers said he was looking forward to the resurgent Hawks playing in “prime time” in 2025, with the club having not played a Friday night home-and-away game since round 15, 2022 and not hosted one since round 16, 2019.

Mitchell’s extension leaves Docker Justin Longmuir, Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge, Power coach Ken Hinkley, long-time Swans mentor John Longmire and victorious premiership coach Chris Fagan out of contract at the end of next year.

But this masthead reported last month that Brisbane boss Fagan will earn at least a one-year extension before the start of the next season.