When Billie Mitchell first picked up the sherrin, Tamworth Swans women's coach Andrew Donohue knew the youngster could be something special.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
And after two years in the game, there's plenty of evidence that affirms Donohue belief.
The 18-year-old won a second Swans best and fairest award on Saturday night.
It comes after sharing the 2019 award with Daisy George, as well as winning the 2020 league best and fairest trophy.
"She just stepped it up this year. Suffered a bit from the preliminary final loss last year and came back with a vengeance," Donohue said.
"She took everyone on board and threw herself at every aspect of the game."
READ ALSO:
Mitchell was "very appreciative" to receive another accolade in her short time in the sport.
The midfielder has excelled in a number of other codes - including water polo, oztag and hockey - but she thinks she's found her main sport.
"I gave union a go but I didn't like it too much. AFL just seemed to fit,"
"Also the environment. It's the best sporting environment at the Swannies."
The Swans have had a stellar first two years in the women's competition with a preliminary final berth in 2019 before making this year's grand final.
And coach Donohue said the side's makeup will be different in 2021.
"We lost a lot of girls to university but we've already recruited a heap. We've got some fairly handy players. Third time lucky," Donohue said on a potential premiership win in 2021.
One of those losses may be Mitchell.
Mitchell finished her HSC at McCarthy in 2019 and eventually wants to further her education at Newcastle University - she just needs to figure out exactly what field she'll study in.
And that study may start next year.
But, Mitchell said there was a fair chance she'd stick with the Swans even is she was away studying.
"If I do move away, I could be doing what [teammate] Gabby [Joice] does in the winter time and travel back," Mitchell said.
Ben Jaffrey
Ben is a content curator and journalist for The Land. He has been with ACM since 2015 and first worked at The Area News and then at the Northern Daily Leader. Ben first joined ACM Agri as a digital journalist for all seven agricultural mastheads in 2022 before shifting to The Land full-time in 2023.
Ben is a content curator and journalist for The Land. He has been with ACM since 2015 and first worked at The Area News and then at the Northern Daily Leader. Ben first joined ACM Agri as a digital journalist for all seven agricultural mastheads in 2022 before shifting to The Land full-time in 2023.
