Mitch played junior football there, and then seniors at North Hobart when he was just 15, standing around 170 centimetres and weighing 60-65 kilograms. He likes to surf and goes fishing at Eaglehawk Neck in south-Eastern Tasmania. He’s a proud Tasmanian too, wanting a Tassie team in the AFL. "I'd love to have a Tassie side. I think everyone down there knows we should, how passionate we'd be as a state," O'Neill said. "I feel like we could make a real good culture down there." Maybe it's something his prospective suitors should keep in mind. "If Tassie were in the [league] now, I'd choose Tassie."

But being Tassie's lone wolf has its drawbacks. O'Neill understands why others are interested in him, but the attention hasn't all been positive, especially at Guilford Young College in Hobart where he's been schooled. "This year's been a lot of pressure for me, dealing with that kind of stuff is pretty hard," he said. Loading "I'm not only representing me, I'm representing Tassie. "People at school bringing it up all the time. It's just frustrating. Everywhere you go, you're labelled as that bloke who plays footy. At times you just want to be relaxed and left alone. I feel like if I didn't get drafted I'd let a lot of people down. That's a big thing I have to deal with every day.