'Holy Trinity' trumped

They were billed as Geelong's 'Big Three', but on Monday afternoon it was a lone Hawk who took the Easter chocolates.

SHERRIN MEET TOM: Hawthorn midfielder Tom Mitchell is quickly redefining the term 'leather poisoning' after another high possession game against Geelong on Easter Monday. Picture: JULIAN SMITH

THEY were billed as 'The Big Three'. Or 'Dangerwoodlett'. Or 'The Holy Trinity'.

But on Easter Monday in front of 75,000 fans, Geelong's three favourite sons - Patrick Dangerfield, Joel Selwood, and Gary Ablett - were outshone by a single man.

Hawthorn midfielder Tom Mitchell is redefining the term 'leather poisoning' through two rounds.

After breaking the all-time AFL/VFL disposals record with 54 touches against Collingwood the week before, Mitchell backed that up with 40 disposals and two goals in Hawthorn's thrilling one point win over Geelong.

Dangerfield (31 touches, 2 goals), Ablett (35 touches, 1 goal) and Selwood (29 touches, 1 goal) were not exactly bad. In fact, Geelong's resurgence in the final term was built on the influence of the star trio. But on a like-for-like basis, Mitchell took the Easter chocolates.

'Metres gained' is a stat which has roared into focus in recent years, as a measurement of how damaging a player is with their touches.

Against Geelong, Mitchell's 595 metres gained - previously his biggest knock - outshone Dangerfield (509m), Ablett (421m) and Selwood (335m).

Dustin Martin, the 2017 Brownlow Medallist, finished second in that category at an average of 483 metres per game last season.

Mitchell ranked 123rd in the same category, but that is not where his true value lies.

The Hawthorn star broke the single-season disposals record in 2017, but sceptics maintained he was not as damaging with his possessions as the likes of Dangerfield and Martin. On Monday, Mitchell proved those detractors wrong.

He also topped the charts with 23 contested possessions against the Cats, bringing his two-game total to 50 - five clear of Patrick Cripps in second place, and 19 ahead of Martin.

Mitchell is an extractor. He gets inside the contest and feeds it out to his teammates. This is shown by his 13 clearances, again leading all-comers.

But he also shines on the outside, as evidenced by his match-leading nine inside 50s.

Granted, Mitchell's two games in 2018 are a small sample size in comparison to his 2017 campaign. But early signs point to a breakaway Brownlow season for the 24-year-old.

Another knock on the 91-game veteran is his propensity to handball instead of kick. This is a big reason his metres gained numbers were less than other leading possession-getters.

Since he debuted in 2013, Mitchell's handball-to-kick ratio has increased every season. In 2017, it was nearly two handballs for every kick. On Monday, he had 21 kicks and 19 handballs.

His game is evolving, as Hawks coach Alastair Clarkson learns how to best utilise his bollocking ball magnet.

The big test now for Mitchell will be how he handles a tag.

Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley chose to let Mitchell roam free in round one, backing his own midfield to do more damage than Hawthorn could do going the other way. That failed, and Buckley's tactics brought into question.

Boasting three absolute superstars in Dangerfield, Ablett, and Selwood, Cats coach Chris Scott was also inclined to back his midfield in. The cumulative stats and effectiveness of his midfield trio would suggest that decision was a stalemate. But Hawthorn still won the match, and Mitchell was the most influential player on the field.

As the stigma of his supposed hollow possessions makes way, teams will realise stopping Mitchell is key to stopping Hawthorn. But as we have seen with Dangerfield and Martin, contested ball winners are infinitely harder to tag.

Richmond are the next cab off the rank to face Hawthorn, and the eyes of the AFL world will be on the Tigers and coach Damien Hardwick. Can the premiers crack the code?

Originally published as 'Holy Trinity' trumped