1984-1992
170 games
214 goals
Best and Fairest 1991
All-Australian 1991
Leading Goalkicker 1988

As a budding footballer, Barry Mitchell lived within a stone's throw of VFL Park in Melbourne's south-eastern suburb of Mulgrave. He recalls cycling to the ground to watch the Victorian state team train, and on most weekends, he sold copies of The Footy Record there.

"I just loved footy," Mitchell said. "We'd sell the footy records, and it was halftime by the time we'd counted all the money. We'd watch the third quarter, and then it was time to sell the newspapers for after the game. We only watched about 20 minutes, but I was a footy head and loved being there."

By his own admission, Mitchell didn't hold aspirations of playing in the big league, but that all changed one afternoon when Swans scouts watched him play. Under the league's suburban zoning rules, Sydney held the right to sign emerging talent from Mitchell's neighbourhood. They wasted no time in recruiting Barry, along with his brother Trevor.

That was 1984, two seasons after South Melbourne had relocated to the harbour city. Mitchell joined a group of Melbourne-based Swans players who remained at home to train under the guidance of the reserves coach, Peter Hogan. Mitchell made his way from the Under 19s to Hogan's seconds, and one match after Bob Hammond began his senior coaching tenure, he made his VFL debut.

Ahead of his first senior match, Mitchell found himself in the peculiar position of having to introduce himself to his Sydney-based teammates whom he'd never met before. "That was interesting", he said.

"There was a group of us—Bernie Evans, Billy Picken, myself and some others. We'd train in Melbourne, fly to Sydney on the Friday afternoon, train with the seniors on a Friday night, stay Friday and Saturday, play Sunday and fly back to Melbourne on Sunday night. It wasn't ideal, but it was the same in 1985," Mitchell said in Flying North for the Winter.

Soon, Mitchell emerged as a courageous player with exceptional ground skills and ball use. He formed part of a young core, including David Murphy, Paul Hawke, Warwick Capper, and Mark Bayes, who made a sizeable impression during the '85 season under new coach John Northey.

Towards the end of that year, a private ownership consortium fronted by Dr Geoffrey Edelsten took control of the club, replacing the popular Northey with four-time premiership-winning coach Tom Hafey. Star recruits arrived from various Victorian clubs, and all of a sudden, the complexion of the Swans team Mitchell joined had changed completely.

Despite the inclusion of midfield dynamos Greg Williams, Gerard Healy, David Bolton and Merv Neagle, Mitchell played a pivotal role in what many regarded as the League's premier on-ball division. Qualities that set him apart were his ability to slice through congestion and the danger he posed around the goals.

"They were good times. I moved up in '86, and I was happy to go. I think playing AFL footy is a privilege, so I wanted to make the move. The calibre of players that came up was unbelievable, and we started to blow some teams away," Mitchell said.

Sydney played sensational football to finish the season in second place behind Hawthorn, but close finals losses to Carlton and Fitzroy ended their promising season prematurely. At the time, all finals were played in Victoria, regardless of ladder position, and the lack of home-ground advantage played a role in the Swans' demise.

The 1987 season is partly remembered for an exceptional mid-year stretch of home victories. The Swans became the first team in VFL history to kick 30 goals or more three weeks in a row, and Mitchell believes the team was built for the smaller SCG, where the speedy midfielders could get the ball quickly into the hands of Warwick Capper. "He was more than a handful," Mitchell said.

Ultimately, the team played four finals without a win, but Mitchell's form only improved in 1988. Following Capper's shock departure to Brisbane, the Swans were left without a forward spearhead, and Mitchell kicked 35 goals from midfield to win the club's leading goalkicker award.

"Warwick left, and that took 100 goals out of us," Mitchell said. "Then we started getting injuries to top-line players, which affected us. Tommy Hafey went at the end of that season, and some of the building blocks from the previous seasons were starting to fall away."

And so began a period of great uncertainty for the club. A new private ownership group came on board to revive the situation, but it was a time of frustration for Mitchell and others who persevered.

In 1990 and 1991, the Swans turned over an incredible amount of players, leaving Mitchell as one of the most senior members of the squad. He'd always been renowned as one of the club's most dedicated trainers, and when a young Paul Kelly arrived from Wagga, he looked to emulate Mitchell's exceptional training standards.

"The senior players helped me when I was young, so I was of the age to start helping our younger players. But we were great friends, Kel and I. Even though he was younger, we were very similar in our outlook and behaviour, so we got along well. He was so quick and had a competitiveness you don't see very often. But above all, you make some great friendships in footy, and we're still close," Mitchell said.

Although the Swans only won seven games, the 1991 season was the best of Mitchell's career. Averaging 31 disposals and kicking 30 goals, he claimed the club's best and fairest award and gained All-Australian selection as a rover. In fact, over the 1991 and 1992 seasons, Mitchell was the most prolific ball-winner in the AFL. In one epic win over Adelaide at Football Park, Mitchell collected 46 disposals and kicked two goals—his second sealing a thrilling four-point win.

He was no stranger to performing in front of hostile, parochial crowds, having represented Victoria nine times across his career. In the 1991 State of Origin clash with Western Australia, Mitchell collected the E.J. Whitten Medal as the state's best player.

Mitchell departed after a tumultuous 1992 season that saw the Swans finish last and almost fold completely. "I never thought I'd ever leave the place, never, ever. But the significance of Healy and Williams leaving, the club struggling as much as it did and the AFL wiping it, took its toll on me," Mitchell said in Flying North for the Winter.

In a much-publicised move, Mitchell joined Collingwood in 1993 before finishing his career with 38 games for Carlton between 1994-1996. Mitchell retains considerable perspective on the unpredictability of a professional football career.

"I always tried my best. I saw guys like Stevie Wright and Greg Williams always giving their best, and I wanted to be like that. I was an 18-year-old kid out of Mulgrave and ended up playing 200 games, so I'll take that. There was good and bad, but it taught me about having balance in my life," Mitchell reflected.

In the 2011 AFL draft, Barry’s son Tom joined the Swans as a father-son selection, playing 65 games in the red and white. One of the team’s best in the 2016 Grand Final, he went on to become a Brownlow Medallist at Hawthorn and a premiership player with Collingwood. Watching Tom’s career progress has given Barry untold joy.

Brave and skilful, Barry Mitchell's professionalism influenced the next generation of great Sydney Swans midfielders. Paul Kelly described Mitchell as his mentor, and Daryn Cresswell said, "Mitch's work ethic was higher than I have ever seen in anyone. He taught me how to be successful."