Adam Cooney isn’t convinced former Hawk Tom Mitchell is in Collingwood’s best 22.
Mitchell departed Hawthorn shortly before Wednesday’s deadline, with the Hawks, Magpies and Geelong able to take part in a three-way trade that also saw Ollie Henry and Cooper Stephens move clubs.
Collingwood essentially gave up two third-round picks for Mitchell, with the general consensus he’d be a walk-up start in his new club’s starting side.
Magpie Army, Tom's already your biggest fan 🥰 pic.twitter.com/qXZHB1rYF9
— Collingwood FC (@CollingwoodFC) October 13, 2022
But given Mitchell’s likeness to his new teammate Taylor Adams, Cooney isn’t sure both can play in the same team.
“No, I don’t (have Mitchell in Collingwood’s best 22),” the 2008 Brownlow Medallist told AFL Trade Radio before the trade went through.
“I was tossing up between Taylor Adams and Tom Mitchell, and I think they would prefer Adams in there, they love him as a player, he’s a heart and soul player, and injuries have kept him off the park.
“But if it comes down to the midfield and rotations, he’s not a player that can rotate forward, Tom Mitchell. And neither is Taylor Adams really.
“So Scott Pendlebury is in the middle, I can tell you that much, and then Jack Crisp and Jordan De Goey is on the ball. The only way you fit Tom Mitchell in, I think, is if you start Jordan De Goey forward, and he’s probably the best on-baller.”
Patrick Lipinski, Josh Daicos, Brayden Maynard and Jamie Elliott can all also rotate on the ball in Craig McRae’s side.
Mitchell endured a difficult position in 2022, playing largely out of position with Hawks coach Sam Mitchell opting to blood youth in the midfield.
But at his best, Mitchell is a Brownlow Medallist who is among the best ball winners in the competition.
The 29-year-old also has two All-Australian blazers and averaged more than 28 touches a game in 2022 despite attending just 53 per cent of centre bounces.
Collingwood ranked 13th for clearances per game in 2022, with Mitchell identified as a player who could fulfil a need for the club.
Fiorini was one of four key players left on the trade table on Wednesday night.