Previous Corowa local and Sydney Swans coach John Longmire met with Caleb Mitchell and the Mitchell family the day after Caleb was drafted.
Yarrawonga Pigeon grand-final player Caleb Mitchell found himself on the first plane to Sydney last Thursday after being picked up in last week’s 2022 AFL draft by the Swans at pick 40.
Hold tight - we’re checking permissions before loading more content
Mitchell, a tall wing/midfielder with a booming left foot who also does not mind dropping into the backline said his first few days up north have been full on but he is glad to be at the Swans.
“It was a big shock to get drafted. I was left speechless for the next half an hour trying to fathom what had happened,” Mitchell said
“You talk to clubs and they indicate some interest but with the draft these days you can never be certain.
“Our tv had about a 30 second delay so my phone started blowing up before my name got read out and I just said to my mum and dad that this was my pick and they thought I was joking.
“For John to come over and personally congratulate me was pretty special, I think it symbolises what a great organisation the Sydney Swans are.”
Mitchell was thrown straight into the deep end, beginning training within a week of the move up north however he is fitting in well and enjoying the culture of the club and city.
“What excites me about Sydney is the genuine culture they’ve got up here and I can’t wait to get stuck into training with the boys and take a leaf out of their book,” Mitchell said.
“My goal is to put some good steps in on the training track and hopefully get my first game, but we’ll see what happens.
“We had the first session on Monday which involved a 2km time trial and some drills as well as gym work but we will finish pre-Christmas training on December 15 and I’ll come home to Yarra before we get back to Syndey and training on January 9.
“I’m now in a house with Matty Roberts and Lach Rankine so it will be great to work off them as well.”
Being drafted to an AFL club is a dream, taking a lot of work to get there as home clubs assist to better your talent with Mitchell playing for both the Yarrawonga Pigeons and Murray Bushrangers this season, both of who he thanks for getting him to where he is now.
Young talent Caleb Mitchell who played a handful of games for Yarrawonga this season including the Grand Final has been drafted to the Sydney Swans in the 2022 AFL draft.
Photo by
Les_Garbutt
“I will always say that playing senior footy with Yarra helped my development and confidence so much this year. It was so much fun playing with a great bunch of lads and coming so close to the end goal and I can’t thank the club enough,” Mitchell said.
“Up here the lads are pretty hungry after coming so close last year and training standards are being driven as a result so the intensity is nuts.”
Previous Corowa local and Sydney Swans Coach John Longmire visited the Mitchell family the day after Caleb was drafted and was impressed with what he saw.
“Caleb was rated by our recruiters due to his improvement over the course of the year,” John said. His game running ability, his willingness to play a team role, and his talent. All attributes that we value highly!
“I met Caleb the day after the draft at his home with his family, and from early on I am very confident that he’ll fit in well with our young group.”
Sydney recruiting boss Kinnear Beatson said they had Mitchell rated a lot higher in the draft.
“His history is really interesting - at the start of the year he wasn't even on the radar of the Murray Bushrangers, but he went to his coach and said, 'I want to try and play AFL footy'.
“He got himself super fit, got his 2km time trial down, shed a lot of weight and ended up playing for Vic Country.
“He's one of those guys who can get up and back on the wing - those guys who can compete in the air, and play that role, are invaluable."
Described as a powerfully built, hard-running wingman who sweeps back and drives forward on the outside, Mitchell carried on the momentum of a strong preseason to cement his spot on the wing this season, turning out 10 times for the Murray Bushrangers.
His best outing this year was a 31-disposal, two-goal effort against minor premier, Gippsland Power, and he proved relatively consistent otherwise.
The 18-year-old impressed enough to earn a call-up to the Vic Country squad, playing all four National Championship games as a reliable runner on the outside. Back home, he managed a handful of games with Yarrawonga, including the grand final loss to Wangaratta where he booted a goal.
Mitchell is a unique type of wingman in the sense that he is built like an inside midfielder, but predominantly plies his trade on the outer.
