VETERANS Sam Mitchell and Jordan Lewis will collectively have better seasons than their younger Hawthorn replacements Jaeger O'Meara and Tom Mitchell, their fellow players predict.
As part of AFL.com.au's fourth annual AFL Players' Top 50, players were asked to nominate which team-switcher would have the biggest impact this year.
• Who's made the cut in the AFL Players' Top 50?
Following a controversial off-season featuring several high-profile trades, the players believe the elder Mitchell, now with West Coast, will provide the most immediate bang for buck.
Strange days: Reigning Hawk best and fairest winner Sam Mitchell limbers up for West Coast. Picture: AFL Photos
The evergreen 34-year-old attracted 17 per cent of votes cast by his peers, followed by ex-Sun O'Meara (14 per cent) and new Demon Lewis (12 per cent), while former Swan Tom Mitchell (seven per cent) was equal-fifth.
So the old stagers received a combined 29 per cent of the vote compared to their successors' 21 per cent.
Which team-switching player will have the biggest impact in 2017?
| Player | Former club | New club | Votes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sam Mitchell | HAW | WCE | 17 per cent |
| Jaeger O'Meara | GCFC | HAW | 14 per cent |
| Jordan Lewis | HAW | MELB | 12 per cent |
| Pearce Hanley | BL | GCFC | 10 per cent |
| Tom Mitchell | SYD | HAW | 7 per cent |
| Dion Prestia | GCFC | RICH | 7 per cent |
| Michael Hibberd | ESS | MELB | 5 per cent |
Although the Hawks' greats are in the twilights of their spectacularly successful, four-flag careers, we shouldn't be surprised by this poll result given they are still strong performers, with ex-skipper Mitchell last year winning his fifth best and fairest and then vice-captain Lewis, 30, finishing runner-up.
Their impact already has gone far beyond their contributions as players, with both becoming instant leaders and virtual on-field assistant coaches at their new clubs.
Mitchell will join the Eagles' coaching panel when he hangs up his boots, while Lewis' experience and hard-edged leadership is invaluable for a Melbourne team aiming for its first finals appearance since 2006.
Former Sun Jaeger O'Meara shares a laugh with new Hawk teammate Shaun Burgoyne. Picture: AFL Photos
The merits of Hawthorn's ruthless list management decisions will be debated for years, but the early signs are that all parties are set for big years in new colours.
O'Meara's hot pre-season form indicates that the 23-year-old is finally over the knee issues that have sidelined him for the past two years, while Tom Mitchell, also 23, impressed in his first JLT Community Series outing against North Melbourne.
Highly skilled Irishman Pearce Hanley was fourth in the poll, with expectations high after his move from the Brisbane Lions to rival Gold Coast.
Who made the cut in the AFL Players' Top 50?
• 50-41: Tough-as-nail Demon's time arrives
• 40-36: Magpie Treloar soars in the spotlight
• 35-31: What rising Blue Patrick Cripps still needs to improve
• 30-26: Baby Bomber Zach Merrett's next challenge
• 25-21: Who is the Giants' most valuable player?
• 20-16: The day Max Gawn became invincible
• 15-13: Tom Lynch versus the greats
• 12-10: How Sloane stepped up after Dangerfield
• 9-7: Why the Swans made Kennedy sole captain
Who's next?
• Check out the rest of the AFL Players' Top 50 as they are revealed
• The players pick the teams set to plummet
• Breakout stars: The players name the seven most likely to explode
• Who topped the count in 2016?
