Mitchell played as a rover and was consistently one of the top possession getters in the league every season. After retiring from Carlton in 1996, he kept involved with the club by becoming their runner. He was promoted by the Blues to assistant coach in 2003, but left in 2007 to join Hawthorn, again as an assistant, and was part of the premiership team in 2008. He left the Hawks at the end of the premiership winning season to join Fremantle as an assistant coach. At the end of the 2011 season he left Fremantle to return to Melbourne after his son Tom Mitchell was drafted by the Sydney Swans under the father–son rule.[1][2]
Victoria 19.12 (126) defeated Western Australia 10.12 (72), at the WACA Ground, 16 May 1989, crowd: 20,993
Victoria 22.17 (149) defeated South Australia 9.9 (63), at the MCG, 1 July 1989, crowd: 91,960
New South Wales 13.8 (86) defeated Victoria 10.16 (76), at the SCG, 22 May 1990
Victoria 14.13 (97) defeated Western Australia 8.12 (60), at the WACA Ground, 26 June 1990
Victoria 12.14 (86) defeated South Australia 11.4 (70), at Football Park, 28 May 1991
Western Australia 19.13 (127) defeated Victoria 7.9 (51), at the WACA Ground, 16 July 1991
Victoria 23.19 (157) defeated Western Australia 13.12 (90), at the MCG, 26 May 1992
South Australia 19.19 (133) defeated Victoria 18.12 (120), at Football Park, 7 July 1992