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HAWTHORN champion Sam Mitchell will play on next season after agreeing to a new one-year deal.
Mitchell was set to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of this season after signing a one-year extension in February last year.
But the former Hawks skipper's name did not appear on the AFL's free agency list released on Tuesday and Hawthorn announced his new deal on Thursday afternoon.
"It's good to be at one club for such a long time," Mitchell told the club's website.
"We've had success as a team and that always helps you enjoy your footy.
"When you're winning and you're building something, you find ways to enjoy your work and I've certainly been able to do that."
Mitchell will be 33 by the time the 2016 season starts, but the midfielder's form in recent seasons has been perhaps the best of his career.
"At this stage I still do all the training, I'm still able to complete the whole pre-season without missing too much, which is always a strong indication," he said.
"Everyone says the stronger your pre-season is, the more likely you are to be able to have a good season.
"I feel good – I feel 25 or the same way I have for the last 5-7 years."
A serious hamstring sidelined him for seven matches in the middle of last season but he returned to average 32 possessions during the Hawks' successful finals campaign and was outstanding in the Grand Final win over the Sydney Swans with 33 possessions and a game-high nine tackles.
In the four seasons since he stepped down as Hawks captain at the end of 2010, Mitchell has won two of his four club best and fairest awards (2011 and 2012) and finished third in his only other full season.
His two All Australian team selections have also come in that time (2011 and 2013), while he finished equal second in the 2012 Brownlow Medal.
Mitchell has played 261 games since debuting in 2002, including the 2008 and 2013-14 premierships.
He captained the Hawks from 2008-10 and won the 2003 NAB AFL Rising Star Award.
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