Former Brownlow medallist Tom Mitchell will lace up the boots for the Queenstown Crows this Saturday, running out on the club’s famous gravel oval in what’s shaping as a massive day for the small Tasmanian community.
Mitchell, who retired from the AFL after 207 games played for Sydney, Hawthorn and Collingwood, is in the middle of a five-game regional tour across Victoria and Tasmania, backed by life and health insurer AIA Australia as part of its “Do It For Life” campaign.
Crows senior coach Lachlan McKellar said the club jumped at the chance when the opportunity came up.
“Not every day you get an ex-AFL player coming to play, let alone the quality of Tom,” McKellar told Pulse.
“I’d argue he should probably still be playing AFL.”
“He did a full preseason and that, so he’s obviously pretty fit and wouldn’t have lost any ability, so we’re basically gonna have an AFL player running around in country footy.”
The Crows will host Ridgely on their heritage-listed gravel oval, a surface made of fine rocks and sand that can’t be turfed due to it being heritage listed.
McKellar said he won’t be changing the team’s game plan just because Mitchell is in the side.
“Everyone’s role and the way we wanna play will stay the same, but we just have that added luxury of being able to use Tom wherever needed and be able to pick his brain a little bit and hopefully he can teach us a thing or two, especially some of the younger boys in our group,” he said.
Mitchell kicked off his tour last month with Greensborough in Melbourne, racking up 27 disposals and 15 tackles.
“Getting back to country footy is something I’ve really missed. It keeps you fit, keeps you grounded, and it’s great for your overall wellbeing, not just physically, but mentally too,” Mitchell said.
“Local clubs give people routine, connection and a real sense of belonging. That’s one of the reasons why they matter so much to so many.”
The 2018 Brownlow medallist and premiership player with Collingwood in 2023 isn’t the only former AFL star turning out in Tasmania, with Gary Ablett Jr recently playing for Glenorchy.
The Crows have lined up sponsors and a function after the match to make the most of Mitchell’s visit, with McKellar hopeful a successful day could attract more former AFL players to the region.
