Michael Mitchell was recently inducted into the West Australian Football Hall of Fame. Tony Greenberg takes a look at the impressive Richmond playing career of the lightly-framed excitement machine.

Michael Mitchell joined Richmond from WAFL club Claremont, where he had won the competition’s Sandover Medal in 1984 and finished runner-up the following year.

Mitchell had earned a reputation for being lightning fast, a strong tackler, silky-skilled, and an amazing mark for a player just 173cm tall and weighing only 66kg.

One particular mark he took while playing for Claremont is rated by many who saw it as the greatest of all time. Mitchell literally stood bolt upright on his opponent’s back that day to drag down the ultimate “specky”.

Not surprisingly, Mitchell won Mark of the Year for that incredible effort – a feat he was to emulate at AFL level with Richmond in Round 5 of the 1990 season against Fitzroy at the MCG, when he balanced on the shoulders of Lions defender Brett Stephens, before juggling the ball in one hand and then completing the grab.

In the final home-and-away round of that 1990 season, Mitchell completed a unique double, winning Goal of the Year, for a sensational six-pointer against the Sydney Swans at the SCG.

After gathering the ball deep in defence ‘Mitch’ decided to take the game on in typically bold, dashing style.

He took a bounce, then another, followed by five more (a grand total of seven), before calmly slotting it through for a goal that is still spoken about today.

In 2008, as part of Richmond’s VFL/AFL Centenary celebrations, that 1990 goal by Mitchell against Sydney was voted the Tigers’ Goal of the Century.

The 1988 season was Mitchell’s best in his time at Tigerland.  He finished second in the Club’s Best and Fairest award that year, polled 12 Brownlow Medal votes, which was just eight behind the winner, Sydney’s Gerard Healy, and kicked 33 goals.

His best goal return in a year with Richmond was 37 in his 1987 debut season of league football.

And his best goal tally in a match for the Tigers was five, which he scored twice, both times during the 1988 season – against Sydney at the SCG in Round 14 and against North Melbourne at the MCG in Round 18.

Mitchell was a ‘pocket rocket’, who thrilled Yellow and Black barrackers with his exhilarating on-field exploits.

For those Richmond fans who were too young to see Michael Mitchell in action, think Shai Bolton.

There are a lot of similarities between the current-day Tiger star and Mitchell – explosive breakaway speed, eel-like elusiveness, exciting high-flying ability and goalkicking nous.

Bolton has Mitchell covered in terms of his capacity to also have a significant impact for the team by consistently winning crucial centre clearances and charging forward.

Nevertheless, Michael Mitchell provided Richmond with excellent value over the course of five seasons at Punt Road, playing 81 games all-up, kicking 103 goals, and frequently lifting the side through his brilliance.