HAWTHORN star Jai Newcombe should be getting opposition attention as his clearance work is "off the charts", according to former Brownlow medallist Tom Mitchell.

Newcombe is the leading clearance player this season, averaging 7.8 per game, and he produced another dominant performance against North Melbourne on Saturday.

The Hawks midfielder had 34 disposals, 12 clearances and 11 score involvements in the win at UTAS Stadium.

Mitchell believes rival teams need to start focusing on Newcombe when they come up against the Hawks.

"You can call him a central midfielder if you like. He patrols the middle of the ground. All the offense goes through there," he said on AFL.com.au's The Round So Far.

"And he's also in a great position defensively to block the opposition. He gets all his possessions around the middle of the ground. He never goes out wide to the boundary lines. And he plays that role well.

"It's normally suited to an inside bigger body who doesn't have to run as much. And I think in terms of his clearance numbers, they're off the charts.

"Opposition teams need to start putting some time into him at clearance."

Newcombe has enjoyed another excellent season and was named in AFL.com.au's The 25 last week.

Mitchell said the work of the Hawks' rucks – Lloyd Meek on Saturday and his combination with the injured Ned Reeves throughout 2026 – had also been important.

"I think he's very supported by the rucks. Meek was great. And Reeves, when he's been in the side ... they rank No.2 for hitouts to advantage this year behind Max Gawn and the Demons," he said.

"The rucks are really helping him out. But these numbers are hard to argue with. I think teams need to put more work into him at stoppage."