Mitch Duncan
Introduction '''Mitchell James Duncan''' (born 10 June 1991) is an Australian rules footballer for the Geelong Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). A versatile player at  tall and weighing , Duncan is able to contribute in the forward line as well as the midfield.A standout junior footballer, Duncan entered top-level football early by signing for East Perth Football Club 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 honours, selection for Australia in the International Rules Series, and being awarded an AIS-AFL Academy 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 playing for Western Australia in May 2009Duncan was born in Perth, Western Australia. He attended Carine Senior High School and Trinity College. Duncan is the son of former East Fremantle player Glen Rogers. Playing school football alongside future AFL players Kane Lucas 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 East Perth Football Club at the age of sixteen years. 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 goals—earned him end-of-year All-Australian 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 and achieving a level of 14.1 in the beep test.
AFL career Duncan at Geelong's 2011 premiership victory parade.Duncan was drafted by the Geelong Football Club 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, recording 10 disposals and 6 tackles against his childhood team Essendon. During a round four fixture against Port Adelaide, 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). 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 midfield. 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 has also acknowledged his maturity and professionalism, likening his game-day approach to that of Joel Selwood.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    22 8  8  6  67  42  109  43  18  1.0  0.8  8.4  5.3  13.6  5.4  2.3  0 '''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    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    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    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    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    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    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    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    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    22 13  8  2  200  115  315  98  33  0.6  0.2  15.4  8.8  24.2  7.5  2.5  4 '''2022'''#    22 22  9  7  342  173  515  184  35  0.4  0.3  15.5  7.9  23.4  8.4  1.6  4 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, 2022* '''2× McClelland Trophy ()''': 2019, 2022'''Individual'''* '''AFL Rising Star nominee''': 2011 (round 3)
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