Mitchell was best afield in the reserves decider, but the Swans lost that, too, leaving the prodigiously talented youngster filled with desire.

After two injury-marred  seasons since joining Sydney as a father-son selection in the 2011 draft - his father Barry played 170 games for the Swans in the late 1980s and early '90s - Mitchell was this year given another test in patience and focus when the coaching staff told him he had to work on his fitness back in the reserves again, despite having had a full pre-season.

"It definitely was frustrating not being able to get into the senior team," he says.

"Every player in the reserves has the goal of playing senior football. But you have to work on the things you need to and just hopefully take your opportunity when it comes."

He did. When called up to play the Western Bulldogs in round five, Mitchell was one of the standouts in a losing team, gathering 30 touches and making nine tackles. Against Melbourne the next week he was busy again, with 28 possessions. And, in the win over Geelong last round, he was a star, with a career-high 33 touches and three goals.

"We look at the game and touches and goals are one thing," coach John Longmire said after the win over the Cats. "But there's a whole heap of things that go into the analysis of a game. His pressure and intensity - I thought he ran the game out pretty strongly, so the longer the game went, he and a few others got better, which was really good."

This week, co-captain Kieren Jack added his voice to the praise for Mitchell, saying he had "added a different dimension" to the Swans' midfield, which has hit form ahead of Saturday night's massive game against premiers Hawthorn at the MCG.

"It's just really exciting to be in the team and be able to play a role each week," Mitchell said.

"You have to be performing to the best of your ability in the reserves and then also training well to get selected. It is pretty hot for spots and you can't really afford to ever lapse in performance or concentration. You've just got to try to back it up week by week as best you can."

Mitchell's added motivation from struggling to get his body into dependable shape during his first two seasons, appears to have been channelled positively. On the back of a strong summer of fitness work, he feels in prime shape and possibly building the foundations for a long stint at the elite level.

"It was just about getting my body right and being fit enough to be able to play consistently week after week," he says of the brief he was given by the coaching staff.

"My body hadn't had the conditioning in the past to be able to do that. It was a combination of that and an overall improvement in everything in my game."

Those lessons have come from working alongside the likes of Jarrad McVeigh, Josh Kennedy and Ted Richards, he says.

"Us younger players are lucky to be around some absolute stars who you just learn things off everyday, whether it's at training or just having conversations. They've got a lot of experience and you just try to soak it all in."

Mitchell might not have experienced first-hand the disappointment of last year's grand final, but that will not leave anything lacking for Saturday's match.

"It was disappointing for the reserves,too," he says. "We lost right at the end of the game. But last year was last year for both the seniors and reserves. We haven't really talked about it at all. It's just about playing the way we like to play and knowing that if we get those things right, hopefully things go our way.

"Hawthorn are a quality team. They've been at the top of the ladder for years. It's always tough to shut down their stars because there are so many of them.

"It will be a good challenge for us as a midfield group against those type of players. Hopefully we can get on top in the midfield battle and get us to a win."