Saturday evening’s highly-anticipated clash between the Sydney Swans and Essendon has been given another drawcard with father-son recruit Tom Mitchell set to make his AFL debut for the Swans.



The second-year player, who is the son of 1991 Bob Skilton medallist and All-Australian midfielder, Barry Mitchell, will play his first game for the club in front of a sell-out SCG crowd after strong recent showings in the NEAFL competition.



Mitchell will become just the fifth father-son selection to make his AFL debut for the Sydney Swans and the first since Sean Dempster in 2005.



Speaking to SwansTV on Thursday morning, the midfielder, who turns 20 tomorrow, said he was ‘ecstatic’ to be selected for this weekend’s match against the Bombers.



“It was Wednesday morning and I was walking past the offices upstairs and John (Longmire) just said, ‘Tom can you go and wait in my office’ and I went and waited in his office,” Mitchell told SwansTV.



“A few minutes later him and Kieren Jack walked in the door and just said ‘Congratulations, you’ve got your first game’.



“I was over the moon to hear that and that’s how it happened.



“I called mum and dad as soon as I heard the news and they were really happy for me and they’ve been part of my footy journey my whole life so they were just as happy as I was to hear the news.”



Mitchell’s journey to senior selection has not been without its obstacles. After arriving at the club via pick 21 in 2011 AFL Draft, his first year at the Swans was hampered by on-going injuries including knee tendonitis, which severely limited his game time.



After finally overcoming his knee issues, Mitchell then suffered a stress fracture in his foot which prematurely ended his first season at the club and pushed him into an early pre-season program.



“I had a pretty tough run with injury last year and struggled to get out on the park and only managed a few games,” he said.



“I then came back this pre-season with another injury, which was a bit disappointing.



“I suppose I’ve just been working with the coaches and I’ve been able to string a few full games together over the last few weeks and have been trying to get some good form up.”



Mitchell has since worked his way back to full fitness and played his first full game for the Swans reserves in late April.



Since his return to full game time, the midfielder has been a stand-out performer and has collected 30-plus possessions in his last four matches for the Swans reserves.



“I’ve sort of just been working with the coaches in different sorts of roles that they’ve been wanting me to play,” Mitchell said about his last month of football.



“Once I sort of started to get a grasp for being able to do those jobs better, that’s when the coaches told me they were happy with my progress and told me that if I could keep maintaining those things that I’d be getting closer to playing a game.”



With his first senior game locked in and his dad Barry and mum Sandra in the stands this weekend, Mitchell said he couldn’t wait to get out in front of a full SCG to make his first run in the red and white.



“It’s going to be a big game,” he said.



“I think it is a sell out so it will be a good challenge for us and I’m just really looking forward to running out in front of a packed crowd and hopefully trying to contribute.”



Swans coach John Longmire said Mitchell had earned his chance and was looking forward to adding him to his midfield stable.



"He's a very determined young man and very much a competitor, which is an attribute we love and it's a really good start," Longmire said.



"He's a very good strong contested ball player and hopefully adds to that mix that we've got with Josh Kennedy and Luke Parker and Hannebery and those type of players that add some more depth to our midfield group.



"We always knew when he was able to get a run at it physically that he was a good enough player to warrant playing senior football.



"He's strong and physically able to match it with them and he doesn't shirk the contest.



"It was just about getting some miles in his legs and once he did that, his football started to really improve and his training standards improved and he got to the stage of playing his first senior game."

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