Hawthorn best and fairest Sam Mitchell says he is open to a trade to the West Coast Eagles if it benefits both clubs, although the deal is not yet done.
Mitchell, who turns 35 next year, told SEN radio that West Coast had approached him 12 months ago about the prospect of coaching when his career was over, but in recent weeks the ground had moved towards a potential trade so he could play with the club before coaching.
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Hawk Sam Mitchell considers West Coast move
Hawthorn's four-time premiership player is considering a move to the West Coast Eagles in a bid to forge a career as a coach.
"Brownlow day, Clarko came over and, to be honest, Clarko has just been so honest and such a good friend for such a long time and he is in a sense looking out for me ... and he said, 'Look I know that you want to go into coaching, you're not going to play forever for Hawthorn, would it be something you'd be interested in to maybe go and play there and then go into coaching?', " he said.
"You could have knocked me over with a feather to be honest ... but we chatted for about an hour and just chatting away about life and where we are going to finish at and where the Hawthorn list is at and what I'm going to do with my future ... and I went to my wife and I told her what had happened and expected just to be hit on the head, because we had been considering moving there at some time in the future. She was actually just, 'You know what, let's just do it'."
Mitchell said his young family was at the right age for a move and the two clubs had great respect for each other to talk about such a deal.
"The respect that Simmo and West Coast have with Hawthorn and Clarko, there's been some talk about it for two weeks and you guys are just figuring it out now," he said.
"The way we look at it is it could be a win for Hawthorn and help to free up the salary cap stuff and not have to move on all the guys that are being talked about at the moment and hopefully I can go over and help West Coast."
Mitchell said the deal was not yet done, so he preferred not to indicate which way he hoped it went.
![Sam Mitchell is 'really excited' about the prospect of shifting west.](/web/20161013004906im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/s/0/6/c/p/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gs06jy.png/1476311559527.jpg)
"I'm in a bit of a funny spot to be honest," he said. "If I stay at Hawthorn that is OK, that's great, I've had a great career there and will continue to do so. If I move to the West Coast, then I would be really excited by something new and a new prospect and I will feel like I've done the right thing by Hawthorn if that's what eventuates.
"It has been a really respectful process. Hawthorn have been really transparent with me for years on my contract and how it's going and how their list is progressing and what they need to be on top of the game ... if the story is, you know these are three parties, Hawthorn Football Club, the Eagles football club and Sam Mitchell and his family - all three of those parties I think will come out of this with a win and I think that's the right way to look at it."
Hawthorn list Manager Graham Wright told the club's website there was still a "long way to go" before a deal was done.
"Sam was interested in the idea and wanted to investigate the possible trade," he said.
"There is still a long way to go before any trade decision is made."
West Coast's head of football, Craig Vozzo, says pick 12 is off the table in any deal between the Eagles and Hawthorn for superstar Sam Mitchell.
You could have knocked me over with a feather to be honest.
Vozzo said any deal would have to satisfy "all three parties" and wouldn't be pinned down on what a deal would involve.
"I can't say [Mitchell is] worth pick X or player Y," he told Trade Radio.
He said there's a lot of "good will" between all parties and that was usually a good sign that a deal would get done.
Vozzo confirmed the Eagles first spoke to Hawthorn about Mitchell more than 12 months ago, but that Hawthorn had come to them in 2016.
"We'd spoken to Hawthorn over 12 months ago in terms of talking to Sam, and his interest in potentially coaching at our footy club down the track. I think that was the start of the thought process, if you like," he said.
Asked what he thought when Hawthorn made its approach,he said: "My first thought was, that's a very interesting idea, we should look at it".
He said Mitchell would be offered a "dual role" contract.
"We're looking at 2017 as a playing contract, and then we'll see from there. But there'll definitely be a coaching component," he said.
"It's certainly a dual role that we have to offer ... How long he plays for depends on a variety of factors, but it will certainly be next year."
Mitchell will have a medical at the Eagles once he is back from holidays.
But Vozzo echoed the sentiments of Hawks list manager Graham Wright, cautioning that there was still a lot of work to do before a deal is done.
Vozzo said there was also "still a bit of work to do" to get former North Melbourne forward Drew Petrie to the Eagles.
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