High-flying Hawthorn have re-signed coach Sam Mitchell until the end of the 2030 AFL season. The former Hawthorn captain took charge at the end of the 2021 season in a messy succession from Alastair Clarkson. With Collingwood circling the then Hawks assistant Mitchell, Hawthorn struck a deal with him to take over. A Hawks champion as a footballer across 329 AFL games, Mitchell was a four-time premiership player, five-time best and fairest winner, Brownlow medallist and three-time All-Australian. He took Hawthorn back to the finals in 2024, when they reached the semi-final, then bettered that with a preliminary final appearance last year.