Collingwood premiership player Tom Mitchell has made his AFL retirement official after being delisted by the Magpies following the 2025 season.
The 2018 Brownlow Medalist made the announcement on his Ball Magnets podcast on Wednesday evening, drawing the curtain on a 207-game career spanning three clubs.
After being drafted to Sydney as a father-son pick in 2011, the midfielder played his best footy at Hawthorn, winning three best and fairests across six seasons at the club and earning two All Australian blazers, before playing a major role in Collingwood's grand final win against Brisbane.
In his first year at the Pies, he had 24 disposals, 13 tackles and seven clearances on the last Saturday in September, earning him three Norm Smith Medal votes.
Mitchell set the disposals record with 54 against Collingwood in his Brownlow Medal-winning year and staggeringly accumulated 20 or more disposals in 180 games.
View this post on Instagram
"Right now (retirement) sits a little better," Mitchell told Hamish McLachlan, hosting Mitchell's retirement Ball Magnets podcast.
"I must admit when the news of not finding a club, I did meet with a few clubs and that not falling my way, it was anger, it was sadness, it was resentment towards the game.
"I definitely felt like I had more left in me. And now there's some exciting things on the horizon, I'm about to be a Dad for the first time which is bigger than anything.
"Ball Magnets, we have some exciting plans for 2026. Footy is a small part of your overall journey, it lasted 14 years and I'm looking at life through a bigger perspective at the moment."
Injuries kept the now 32-year-old to just 10 games in his last two seasons.
Mitchell's most significant injury came in January 2019, when he suffered a badly broken leg at training which he revealed he never felt he fully recovered from.
"If anyone saw the shape of my leg that day, you'd think 'I don't know how you're going to play footy again'," Mitchell said.
"My leg was in half, bent at 45 degrees, my foot was facing the wrong way and I thought 'that's not good'.
"It took me six months to walk properly, pain free...I knew I'd get back but would I get back to the heights I was at and maybe I never did, maybe I was never quite the same player, maybe I did for periods (or) in big games.
I don't think I ever got to the heights I performed at in 2018. I lost a bit of power in that leg, I still had my smarts, creativity, being able to get around the ground, competitiveness, tackling, ball winning but I just reckon I lost a bit of power in my leg. My leg has never been the same since."
Tom Mitchell statement via Instagram
It's hard to let go of something you put absolutely everything into. My days playing in the AFL have come to an end, but what an amazing journey it was to live out my childhood dream.
Every footy story is different and unique. That's what makes it authentic to you. My career had some extreme highs and devastating lows.
There were the challenges. It didn't start the way I would've liked, living life on the fringe. My career was later threatened by getting badly injured and breaking my leg in half at the top of my game. There was definitely no fairytale finish to my career either.
Then there were the achievements. Going to the top of the mountain and winning a premiership is something I'll forever be grateful for. The individual accolades are amazing but it's not so much about them. I'm more proud of my approach to never give up under any circumstance. Early starts, late finishes and rarely a day off for the 14 years it lasted.
That's what gives me peace, knowing that I honestly could not have given any more.
I'd like to sincerely thank my family, friends, teammates, coaches, sponsors, mentors as well as everyone elese who went on this journey with me. To enjoy the great moments together, but more importantly, to be there when times got tough.
To the three amazing clubs I was fortunate enough to be part of @sydneyswans @hawthornfc @collingwood_fc - Thankyou for the incredible opportunities and the lifelong memories. The friendships made will last a lifetime and I'll cherish that.
What's next? My other passion is to continue to build Ball Magnets into the independent media platform it has become. I can't wait to share the plans in store for 2026 and beyond.
I've unpacked my career in full with Hamish McLachlan on all (Ball Magnets) podcast platforms. It is a deep dive into my career through my eyes.
Thanks again to all who supported me over the years. I appreciate you all more than you will ever know.
Titch
