Four potential landing spots for Tom MitchellHayden Farquhar
zerohanger.com
October 26, 2025Arguably one of the top delisted free agents on the market right now is 2018 Brownlow medallist Tom Mitchell.
The 32-year-old struggled to cement himself in the Magpies engine room in 2025, featuring in just four AFL games after over a year out of the senior side with a foot injury and strong performances from the likes of Ned Long keeping him at state level.
However, while senior opportunities were limited for Mitchell in 2025, he still excelled when provided the keys to Collingwood's midfield, averaging 23.3 disposals, 3.0 clearances and 5.0 score involvements per game in his four appearances this year.
Time will tell if he gets the chance to prove himself again in 2026, but the numbers certainly suggest he's worthy of a spot on a different AFL list.
So, which teams should be willing to take on the veteran talent?
We look at four potential landing spots for Tom Mitchell.
4. RichmondAnother young team that could benefit from Mitchell's leadership capabilities is Richmond. The Tigers have quality veteran leaders in the forward line and defence assisting their crop of young talent develop, but outside of Jacob Hopper, their engine room lacks a true centre bounce maestro.
Just two years ago, in Collingwood's premiership season, Mitchell won 1.7 centre clearances per game despite attending just 51% of centre bounces per game. That's a centre clearance win rate of 11.7%, which would have ranked first on Richmond this year.
Therefore, provided Mitchell can stay healthy in 2026, he has the potential to elevate Richmond's centre clearance game, enhancing the opportunity for their youngsters to generate attacking football.
While Mitchell may not get a full season at Richmond in the AFL side, as it's likely they'll prioritise the development of their young stars, his experience will provide plenty of value to the development of young bulls like Sam Lalor and Kane McAuliffe and is therefore worth consideration from the suits at Punt Road.
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