By Ryan Long.
Premiership number 17 and two senior Grand Final appearances for the Tigers has the club cementing themselves as a powerhouse of the league.
Senior Men’s
Ladder Position: 3rd (12-6, 185.15%)
Best and Fairest: Tom Lovell
Leading Goalkicker: Guy Laughlin (33 Goals)
Summary:
A picture-perfect ending to Mitcham’s 2023 season, knocking off an undefeated South Belgrave outfit by five points on Grand Final Day.
The club’s first full season back in Division One was a successful one, making a Preliminary Final. With some of their key recruits over the off-season, the club was gearing up for one step better in 2024. Bailey Cowman and Byron Wright both added depth to the side’s scoring potential, whilst Danny Baglava was brought across to team up with Tom Lovell in one of the best ruck duos of the competition.
The Basin star midfielder Nick Hallo also made his way to Tigerland. An injury suffered in Round One against Beaconsfield kept him out of the side for the first half of the season.
Mitcham looked set for a top-three finish and the double chance right from the word go, losing just three games in their first 14 rounds of the season.
Finishing third on the ladder, the Tigers met Montrose in the Qualifying Final, the Dees winning the previous five encounters, with Mitcham having opportunities to win most of those games including their Round 12 clash that went down to the wire.
The Qualifying Final played out eerily similar, the Tigers giving the Dees an early head start before coming home hard. Their late run saw them push Montrose into Extra Time, ultimately going down by a single point.
The two sides would meet a fortnight later after Mitcham put away North Ringwood in a Semi-Final clash. The Preliminary Final saw the Tigers break their hoodoo against the Dees, a 26-point win that saw Mitcham keep their opponents goalless in the final quarter.
The Tigers qualified for their 28th Grand Final appearance in the league. In what may be one of their most memorable premiership wins, Mitcham stunned an undefeated South Belgrave side by five points at Tormore Reserve for premiership number 17.
Key Players:
Tom Lovell had a standout season, the club’s best and fairest winner, a Team of the Year appearance, finishing in the top five of the league’s best and fairest and a star of the premiership side. Lovell was the highest-ranked Mitcham player in PremierData this season, averaging 135 Ranking Points per game, 28 hitouts, 20 disposals and six clearances per game.
Skipper Jesse Uren was another Team of the Year representative, averaging 25 disposals per game in 2023. His finals series was exceptionally strong alongside the likes of fellow midfielders Nick Hallo and Jesse Cherry.
The likes of Guy Laughlin and Jessie Smyth were vitally important, combining for 55 goals this season. They weathered the storm with star key forward Jake Parente unavailable for the majority of the year and Bailey Cowman missing the second half of the season. Laughlin also managed to finish third in the club’s best and fairest.
Best Win: Grand Final – Mitcham 8.10 def. South Belgrave 8.5 53 @Tormore Reserve
In a Grand Final that will go down in league history, the Tigers pulled off premiership number 17 at Tormore Reserve, their second flag in four years.
An undefeated South Belgrave side came into the decider as red-hot favourites, having lost just two games in two years.
The first half remained tight with the Saints just six points ahead at the main break. The momentum began to shift in the third term as Mitcham hit the lead just before Three-Quarter Time, with seven more Inside 50s for the quarter.
Jake Parente who returned to the side in the finals showed his value with three majors in an overall low-scoring game.
Mitcham controlled the majority of the final quarter but let the Saints off the hook with a few missed opportunities. A late goal from Tyreece Lelu would have worried a few in the crowd but the siren sounded at the centre bounce, the Tigers crowned Premiers.
Jesse Cherry’s big season for the club was topped off by winning the Blue Ribbon Medal for a best-on-ground performance.
Off-Season Focus:
Another big season coming for the Tigers should be in contention for another premiership with their current list.
So far, they’ve managed to pick up a couple of recruits including Michael Silvaggi and Flynn Maguire from Vermont. Blackburn’s Xander Tassell also comes to the club after winning a premiership in the Premier Reserves side. Having spent time at the Oakleigh Chargers as well, it’s another great pickup that can be used at either end of the ground.
If we’re picking early premiership favourites, Mitcham must be in the conversation with a big chance of going back-to-back in 2024.
Senior Women’s
Ladder Position: 3rd (9-1)
Best and Fairest: Riley Holloway
Leading Goalkicker: Georgia Fairbairn (19 Goals)
Summary:
A second senior Mitcham Grand Final appearance in 2023 occurred with the Senior Women making the Division Four decider at H.E Parker Reserve.
Taking over as senior coach this year was the Tigers star ruck Jess Grace. After an ACL injury, she stood up to take the reins of what is still quite a new team, leading them to thier first Grand Final.
The Tigers competed in Division Four after a three-week grading period. A dominant year saw Mitcham win nine out of eleven games, locked in a battle for the Minor Premiership with both Mooroolbark and Coldstream. A loss in the final round of the season saw the Tigers just miss out on the double chance.
Finishing in third place on the ladder, Mitcham’s run to the Grand Final had to start with a Semi-Final battle with Fairpark. Against a competitive opponent, they ran out 15-point winners, booking a date with Coldstream in the Preliminary Final.
In a defensive and contested battle, the Tigers managed to come from behind and then hold off a strong attacking side in Coldstream to win a famous two-point Preliminary Final.
A week later, the Tigers faced off against the Mustangs in the Grand Final, held at H.E Parker Reserve. A massive achievement for a senior women’s team competing in just their second season in the competition. Unfortunately, they couldn’t come out on top, going down by eight goals on Grand Final Day.
A successful first season under Jess Grace will give the side plenty of confidence heading into next year.
Key Players:
Nicole Akers was incredible all season, winning the league best and fairest for Division Four, as well as being one of the side’s most important players during their three-week finals series.
Akers finished second in the club’s best and fairest, one vote behind Riley Holloway. She was frequently in the side’s best each week, playing a massive role in their Preliminary Final win over Coldstream. Both made the Team of the Year for Divisions Three and Four, along with teammate Hannah Linnett who the side missed during the finals campaign.
Cat Roscioli led from the front for the Tigers, finding plenty of the football, listed in the best eight times from 13 games.
Leading goalkicker for the Tigers in 2023 was Georgia Fairbairn, kicking 19 goals this season. Fairbairn crossed over from Ringwood and has had an immediate impact on the Mitcham forward line structure.
Best Win: Preliminary Final – Mitcham 2.3 15 def. Coldstream 2.1 13 @H. E Parker Reserve
The side had much bigger wins during the Home and Away season when looking purely at the final scoreboard. But a phenomenal Preliminary Final victory over the Cougars was a true standout for the club.
Taking on the side that knocked the Tigers out of the finals race last year, Coldstream’s biggest strength in 2023 was their capability to score. They were the number one ranked attacking team in the division with multiple avenues to goal.
League Best and Fairest winner Nicole Akers was phenomenal in defence and one of the key reasons why the Tigers were able to hold the Cougars to just three scores for the match.
Going in at Half Time behind by three points, the Tigers kicked two third-quarter goals to hit the lead and then managed to hold on in the final term with a fantastic defensive display that secured a Grand Final appearance.
Off-Season Focus:
The biggest focus over the off-season will retain their current group of senior players that showed a ton of improvement in 2023.
They certainly missed the likes of Grace and Linnett in the Grand Final, a couple of very important inclusions to the side next season.
The divisions for the competition next year are yet to be finalised but can certainly see Mitcham repeated similar success, potentially going one further.
Mitcham Juniors
The Mitcham Junior Football Club continued to improve in 2023, going from twelve teams to 14 teams.
Although they weren’t successful on the day, the Tigers had four Grand Final appearances with both boys and girls teams making it to the decider.
In the Under13B Boys team, Jake McConnell won the league best and fairest with 17 votes.
