Mitchell James Duncan (born 10 June 1991) is an Australian rules footballer for the

Geelong Football Club The Geelong Football Club, nicknamed the Cats, is a professional Australian rules football club based in Geelong, Victoria, Australia. The club competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's premier competition, and are the 2 ...

in the Australian Football League (AFL). A versatile player at tall and weighing , Duncan is able to contribute in the

forward line In the sport of Australian rules football, each of the eighteen players in a team is assigned to a particular named position on the field of play. These positions describe both the player's main role and by implication their location on the gro ...

as well as the

midfield Midfield is the part of a sports field that lies approximately in the center. In American football, association football (soccer) and field hockey, it is the area in and around the center circle, as well as the players who occupy that region. In ...

. A standout junior footballer, Duncan entered top-level football early by signing for

East Perth Football Club The East Perth Football Club, nicknamed the Royals, is an Australian rules football club based in Leederville, Western Australia, current playing in the West Australian Football League (WAFL). Formed in 1902 as the Union Football Club, the cl ...

in the WAFL at the age of sixteen years. His accomplishments as a junior included winning a national championship with Western Australia, achieving

All-Australian The All-Australian team is an all-star team of Australian rules footballers, selected by a panel at the end of each season. It represents a complete team, including an interchange bench, of the best-performed players during the season, led by ...

honours, selection for Australia in the

International Rules Series The International Rules Series is a senior men's international rules football competition between the Australia international rules football team (selected by the Australian Football League) and the Ireland international rules football team ...

, and being awarded an AIS-

AFL Academy Australia has named a senior Australian Football team, known as the All-Australian team since 1947. This team, however has never officially played an international Australian rules football match. This is primarily because the sport is played pr ...

scholarship. Following a decorated junior career, Duncan was selected with Geelong's second pick, and twenty-eighth overall, in the 2009 AFL Draft. Duncan made his AFL debut in 2010, and was nominated at the conclusion of the season for the AFLPA Best First Year Player Award.

Early life

Duncan was born in

Perth Perth is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the Australian states and territories of Australia, state of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth most populous city in Aust ...

, Western Australia. He attended

Carine Senior High School Carine Senior High School is a public co-educational high day school, located in the suburb of Carine, approximately north-west of Perth, Western Australia. History Carine Senior High School was established in 1973 and reached senior high sc ...

and Trinity College. Duncan is the son of former

East Fremantle East or Orient is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth. Etymology As in other languages, the word is formed from the fa ...

player Glen Rogers. Playing school football alongside future AFL players

Kane Lucas Kane Lucas is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played for the Carlton Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). He was listed with the West Coast Eagles for the 2015 and 2016 seasons, but failed to play a sen ...

and Travis Colyer, Duncan helped Trinity College capture the Alcock Cup—Perth's private school football tournament—in 2007. Duncan progressed from school football to sign for

at the age of sixteen years.Duncan, M
"Draft Dream no.4: Mitch Duncan"
''The Age'', 22 May 2009, accessed 25 February 2010 He achieved State honours for Western Australia in the under-16s AFL National Championships during 2007, captaining the state side and leading the team in total disposals. Duncan's promising junior performances were rewarded when he received a scholarship within the prestigious AIS-AFL Academy as part of the 2008 intake. As an academy member, he subsequently participated in the squad tour to South Africa. The following season, Duncan achieved State honours for Western Australian as a bottom-aged player during the AFL National Championships. At the age of just 17, Duncan was selected to play senior football for East Perth at the beginning of the 2009 WAFL season. However, a knee injury occurred in the first round of the season forced him to delay further appearances in the senior side. Despite this setback, Duncan's performances for the East Perth under-18s team upon his return again saw him elevated to the senior team for the remainder of the season. Duncan again received mid-year State honours for Western Australia in the AFL National Championships, and was named vice-captain of the squad. His performances in the championships—during which he averaged 20 disposals at a team-high 75% efficiency, ranked third overall for total marks, and kicked eight goalsSheehan, K
"All the facts, figures and background for this year's AFL national draft prospects"
Fox Sports, 20 November 2009, accessed 24 February 2010—earned him end-of-year

honours and helped Western Australia capture the 2009 national championship. Duncan's performances throughout the season saw him rewarded with an invite to the AFL Draft Camp, where he impressed recruiters by placing in the top 15 percent for the agility run, the top 12 per cent for the three-kilometre

time trial In many racing sports, an athlete (or occasionally a team of athletes) will compete in a time trial against the clock to secure the fastest time. The format of a time trial can vary, but usually follow a format where each athlete or team sets off at ...

and achieving a level of 14.1 in the

beep test The multi-stage fitness test (MSFT), also known as the beep test, bleep test, PACER (Progressive Aerobic Cardiovascular Endurance Run), PACER test, FitnessGram PACER test, or the 20 m Shuttle Run Test (20 m SRT), is a running test used to estimate ...

AFL career

Duncan was drafted by the

with their second selection, and was the twenty-eighth overall draft pick in the 2009 AFL Draft.

2010 season

Duncan made his first appearance for the club during the 2010 NAB Cup, recording 14 disposals, four inside-50s, and two goals on debut. He made his senior debut in the opening round of the

2010 AFL season The 2010 AFL season was the 114th season of the Australian Football League (AFL), the highest level senior Australian rules football competition in Australia, which was known as the Victorian Football League until 1989. The season featured si ...

, recording 10 disposals and 6 tackles against his childhood team

Essendon Essendon may refer to: Australia *Electoral district of Essendon *Electoral district of Essendon and Flemington *Essendon, Victoria **Essendon railway station **Essendon Airport *Essendon Football Club in the Australian Football League United King ...

. During a round four fixture against

Port Adelaide Port Adelaide is a port-side region of Adelaide, approximately northwest of the Adelaide CBD. It is also the namesake of the City of Port Adelaide Enfield council, a suburb, a federal and state electoral division and is the main port for the ...

, Duncan recorded a career–high 20 disposals and 9 marks to help Geelong achieve a 95-point victory. In total, Duncan made 8 senior appearances during his debut season and finished the year ranked third amongst all first-year players in marks per game (5.4), sixth in goals per game (1.0), and sixth in goal assists per game (1.0)."Mitch Duncan statistics"
footywire.com, accessed 8 July 2010 His impressive performances throughout the year saw him nominated by his peers for the AFLPA Best First Year Award.

2011 season

In round three against Port Adelaide he tallied 24 disposals and kicked two long-range goals and was rewarded with the round 3 nomination for the 2011 AFL Rising Star Award. Duncan's season continued strongly, playing in all but one game, including selections into Geelong's finals teams, and was also selected into the 2011 Grand Final Team as a substitute. He entered the match after forward James Podsiadly dislocated his shoulder. Duncan played an important role gathering 10 possessions and scoring a goal at the 27-minute mark of the third quarter. The Geelong Cats played hard contested football in the fourth quarter and kicked five goals and kept Collingwood goal-less, giving Geelong the 2011 Premiership and Duncan his first Premiership Medallion; the first won by a substitute – introduced in the AFL Rules in 2011.

Player profile

Duncan is regarded as a versatile utility player, capable of featuring as a forward or within the

.Gullan, S
"Cats can kick it to Mitch or Duncan"
''The Herald Sun'', 30 November 2009, accessed 2 December 2009 As a lead-up forward, he is noted for his strong marking ability and his role in linking-up plays around the ground. Kevin Sheehan has complimented Duncan on possessing "good foot skills ... on both sides of the body", while showing an "ability to read the game to advantage ... and make excellent decisions". Duncan's teammate

Joel Corey Joel Corey (born 17 February 1982) is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the Geelong Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). A midfielder, tall and weighing , Corey is able to contribute inside or outside whi ...

has also acknowledged his maturity and professionalism, likening his game-day approach to that of

Joel Selwood Joel Anthony Selwood (born 26 May 1988) is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the Geelong Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). He was a quadruple premiership player, a six-time All-Australian, and a three- ...

.Clark, J, "Mitch Duncan continues dream start to career", ''The Herald Sun'', 10 April 2010 In 2014, Duncan began writing a regular Saturday column in the sports section of the Geelong Advertiser. His column brings a fresh perspective to the Geelong Advertiser's sports coverage and is known for its hard hitting style.

Statistics

''Updated to the end of the 2022 season''. , - ,

2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...

, , , , 22 , 8 , , 8 , , 6 , , 67 , , 42 , , 109 , , 43 , , 18 , , 1.0 , , 0.8 , , 8.4 , , 5.3 , , 13.6 , , 5.4 , , 2.3 , , 0 , - , scope=row bgcolor=F0E68C , 2011^# , , , , 22 , 21 , , 22 , , 10 , , 192 , , 165 , , 357 , , 100 , , 49 , , 1.0 , , 0.5 , , 9.1 , , 7.9 , , 17.0 , , 4.8 , , 2.3 , , 0 , - ,

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...

, , , , 22 , 22 , , 20 , , 12 , , 262 , , 138 , , 400 , , 122 , , 68 , , 0.9 , , 0.5 , , 11.9 , , 6.3 , , 18.2 , , 5.5 , , 3.1 , , 2 , - ,

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment ...

, , , , 22 , 25 , , 14 , , 16 , , 310 , , 216 , , 526 , , 161 , , 72 , , 0.6 , , 0.6 , , 12.4 , , 8.6 , , 21.0 , , 6.4 , , 2.9 , , 5 , - ,

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

, , , , 22 , 24 , , 23 , , 10 , , 302 , , 245 , , 547 , , 151 , , 78 , , 1.0 , , 0.4 , , 12.6 , , 10.2 , , 22.8 , , 6.3 , , 3.3 , , 12 , - ,

2015 File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the April ...

, , , , 22 , 11 , , 8 , , 3 , , 105 , , 130 , , 235 , , 62 , , 26 , , 0.7 , , 0.3 , , 9.6 , , 11.8 , , 21.4 , , 5.6 , , 2.4 , , 6 , - , 2016 , , , , 22 , 24 , , 9 , , 13 , , 285 , , 264 , , 549 , , 130 , , 110 , , 0.4 , , 0.5 , , 11.9 , , 11.0 , , 22.9 , , 5.4 , , 4.6 , , 2 , - ,

2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a ser ...

, , , , 22 , 24 , , 15 , , 13 , , 344 , , 354 , , 698 , , 158 , , 128 , , 0.6 , , 0.5 , , 14.3 , , 14.8 , , 29.1 , , 6.6 , , 5.3 , , 11 , - ,

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...

, , , , 22 , 21 , , 7 , , 8 , , 315 , , 238 , , 553 , , 133 , , 74 , , 0.3 , , 0.4 , , 15.0 , , 11.3 , , 26.3 , , 6.3 , , 3.5 , , 4 , - ,

2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...

, , , , 22 , 23 , , 20 , , 6 , , 340 , , 241 , , 581 , , 172 , , 68 , , 0.9 , , 0.3 , , 14.8 , , 10.5 , , 25.3 , , 7.5 , , 3.0 , , 11 , - ,

2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global social and economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, worldwide lockdowns and the largest economic recession since the Great Depression in ...

, , , , 22 , 20 , , 13 , , 8 , , 262 , , 145 , , 407 , , 123 , , 68 , , 0.7 , , 0.4 , , 13.1 , , 7.3 , , 20.4 , , 6.2 , , 3.4 , , 5 , - ,

2021 File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October 2021 coup in Sudan; Crowd shortly after t ...

, , , , 22 , 13 , , 8 , , 2 , , 200 , , 115 , , 315 , , 98 , , 33 , , 0.6 , , 0.2 , , 15.4 , , 8.8 , , 24.2 , , 7.5 , , 2.5 , , 4 , - , scope=row bgcolor=F0E68C ,

2022 File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretariat; The global monkeyp ...

^# , , , , 22 , 22 , , 9 , , 7 , , 342 , , 173 , , 515 , , 184 , , 35 , , 0.4 , , 0.3 , , 15.5 , , 7.9 , , 23.4 , , 8.4 , , 1.6 , , 4 , - class=sortbottom ! colspan=3 , Career ! 258 !! 176 !! 114 !! 3326 !! 2466 !! 5792 !! 1637 !! 827 !! 0.7 !! 0.4 !! 12.9 !! 9.6 !! 22.4 !! 6.3 !! 3.2 !! 66 Notes

Honours and achievements

Team * 2× AFL premiership player (): 2011,

* 2×

McClelland Trophy The McClelland Trophy is an Australian rules football trophy which has been awarded each year since 1951 by the Australian Football League (known prior to 1990 as the Victorian Football League) to the best-performing club in the home-and-away s ...

():

Individual * AFL Rising Star nominee: 2011 (round 3)

Notes

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Duncan, Mitchell Living people 1991 births Australian rules footballers from Perth, Western Australia Geelong Football Club players Geelong Football Club Premiership players East Perth Football Club players People educated at Trinity College, Perth Two-time VFL/AFL Premiership players