Sam Mitchell returns to Hawthorn after holiday from hell in United States

Sam Mitchell has finally returned to Hawthorn after his holiday from hell in the US — but not before one final hitch which included his passport being stolen.

Sam Mitchell is back at Hawthorn after his holiday from hell. File photo

Sam Mitchell kept a sharp eye on training in his return to Hawthorn after his holiday from hell finished with his passport being stolen.

The Mitchell family, Sam, his wife Lyndall and three children, flew back into Melbourne on Friday from the United States after Sam Mitchell spent a week in hospital due to pneumonia.

The family was almost held up again just before flying out when a host of belongings were stolen from their hire car in Los Angeles.

Electronics were among the items pinched, as well as passports.

The items were stolen the day of the return flight but police recovered them quickly.

It’s believed the passports were dumped and the rest of the belongings were recovered by the LAPD with enough time to spare for the Mitchells to make their flight.

Sam Mitchell is back at Hawthorn after his holiday from hell. File photo

Sam Mitchell arrived at the club early on Monday morning and watched training from an old coaches box at the Waverley grandstand.

He did not come down on the track and met with players after a two-hour session finished up.

Mitchell spent a week in a New York hospital in late December with pneumonia, a disease that can result in fluid entering the lungs.

Veteran forward Luke Breust said he was keen to give his coach and premiership teammate a “big cuddle”.

“It’s good to see him back in Australia and back around the footy club and where he belongs,” Breust said.

“I’m sure he has got some stories to tell once he is back amongst the group. We are looking forward to getting him back around the group, back into his usual role and giving him as much time as he needs to recover, but at the same time he is an integral part of this footy club and we need him on board.”

The Hawks chose not to name an interim senior coach while Mitchell was away and now as he settles in to part-time hours.

Breust said that gave a chance for the assistant coaches and senior players to step up.

“You probably just are a little bit more conscious of training and training meetings and making sure everything is sorted,” he said.

“You might not be doing too much more but it’s just checking in on these guys and making sure the ship is still steering straight ahead and going in the direction we want.”

Originally published as Sam Mitchell returns to Hawthorn after holiday from hell in United States