AFL News: The incident with Sam Mitchell caught the attention of the Hawthorn players and turned their season

AFL legend Jimmy Bartel praised Sam Mitchell after the Hawthorn coach helped end his club’s six-year finals drought with a clear victory over North Melbourne in the finals. And the three-time championship winner praised a fiery shot from Mitchell earlier in the season that stunning form for the Hawks and reached seventh place at the end of the home and away season.

Hawthorn will face the Western Bulldogs in an elimination final at the MCG a week from Friday after winning their third AFL season under Mitchell with a win-loss record of 14-9. Mitchell is a club legend at Hawthorn, having won four championships with the Hawks, but his first two seasons as coach ended with him finishing 13th and 16th on the ladder, with the 41-year-old overseeing a transition period at the club.

The Hawks appeared to be still in development in 2024 after slipping to a 1-6 record earlier in the season, with Mitchell being reprimanded for a violent tirade against Jack Scrimshaw during a quarter-time loss to the Sydney Swans. The incident made headlines at the time and Mitchell defended himself against a wave of backlash by insisting Scrimshaw “enjoys being coached like that”.

Following the explosive scenes, few could have predicted that the Hawks would improve their form so drastically that they would be playing in the finals in 2024. In fact, the Hawks’ record after Mitchell’s strike reads 13 wins and just three losses, with Bartel describing the strike as a turning point in the club’s fortunes this season. Mitchell proved he was unwilling to compromise his standards for anyone and was happy to warn players when they weren’t giving their all.

Jimmy Bartel praises Sam Mitchell’s coaching achievements in 2024

The Geelong legend compared Mitchell’s early-season upsurge to the joyous scenes he witnessed with his players after Saturday’s win over the Kangaroos secured their place in the finals. Mitchell was seen joking with his team and hugging players after the final whistle on Saturday and Bartel said the two incidents demonstrated an “emotional intelligence” that is critical to a coach’s success.

“You can be happy, you can enjoy the game and you can win. And for a guy who is very young in coaching terms, I think that’s the big plus about him,” Bartel said of Mitchell on Nine’s Footy Furnace. “And I’ve mentioned to the players when they talk about their coach in the media, it’s that emotional intelligence – he knows when to push hard and when to cuddle and enjoy the wins and moments.”

Hawthorn stormed into their first finals series since 2018 with five wins from their last six games after starting the season without a win in their first five matches. Mitchell said he was encouraged by the team’s performance early in the season despite the results not being on the scoreboard, but warned his in-form team that they still need to improve if they hope to go deep into the finals series.

“We have to play four more games consistently if we want to make it to the top… winning finals is hard but we gave ourselves a chance,” Mitchell said. “We wanted to build a team… a style of play that would prove itself in the finals. Now we’re in the finals and time will tell. I’m confident it will prove itself. The big challenge for us now is, ‘What is the limit?’ I’ve never set one.”

Mitchell’s Hawks beat their finals opponents, the Western Bulldogs, when the sides met in round eight – the first game since the Hawthorn coach fired his infamous scrimshaw jab. The Hawks claimed a seven-point victory in the only game they have played against the Dogs this season and they are in for another thrilling game against Luke Beveridge’s side, who beat GWS on Sunday to finish the season in sixth place.

AFL Week 1 Finals Schedule:

• Second Qualifying Final: Port Adelaide v Geelong – Thursday 5 September, Adelaide Oval, 7.40pm

• Second Elimination Final: Western Bulldogs v Hawthorn – Friday 6 September, MCG, 7.40pm

• First Qualifying Final: Sydney vs GWS – Saturday 7 September, SCG, 15:20

• First Elimination Final: Brisbane Lions vs Carlton – Saturday, 7 September, Gabba, 19:30