Reigning Brownlow Medallist Tom Mitchell has all-but ruled out a return to footy in 2019, saying his focus is on the long term.
The Hawthorn midfielder broke his leg at a training session in January and while his rehab is going well, he doesn’t expect to play this year, even if the Hawks make finals.
“I’d rather get the injury right and not put any future years in jeopardy,” Mitchell told AFL Nation.
“That’s the way I’ve approached it is accepting that this year is would be pretty tough and even if I did come back, I’d be very underdone and wouldn’t be able to perform at the level I would like to.
“I’m going to give myself a good 12 months to full recover and hopefully come back and play some decent footy.”
Mitchell said his leg has healed and his focus now is getting back to full fitness.
“I’ve had the metal removed out of my leg, so that was a month or so ago and I’ve started running again. I’ve got a running season tomorrow which I’m looking forward to. Hopefully I’m kicking the footy pretty soon,” he said.
“My bone is fully healed, I just need to condition my leg so things like soft tissue injuries don’t become an issue.”
