Dale Thomas defend Hawks coach Sam Mitchell over Zach Merrett drama

Sam Mitchell has revealed he would not be surprised if some of his stars were talking to rival clubs as he defended his aggressive recruitment tactics regarding Zach Merrett.

As the Hawks coach was pressed about how his chat with Merrett has led to a civil war within the Bombers, one former player who knows all about defecting from one major Melbourne club to another, Dale Thomas, said other clubs should stop whingeing about Hawthorn and make their own aggressive moves on rival players.

Mitchell has never been known to take a backward step as a player or coach, and is unrepentant about trying to lure Merrett.

Hawthorn and Essendon have one of the fiercest rivalries in the AFL, and Mitchell in particular stirs strong emotions among Bombers fans after he nearly joined them in 2011.

Since the revelation about Merrett looking at a trade to Hawthorn, the Bombers have imploded with fears Merrett won’t attend their best and fairest night where he is expected to take home the top award or play next year.

Earlier this year, Mitchell also met with West Coast captain Oscar Allen, who is now headed to Brisbane.

“It sits fine. I have a clear job to do and I’m very focused on making Hawthorn the best club it can be for now, first and foremost,” he said.

“But we have a whole bunch of people who are working pretty hard to make sure the future Hawthorn version is pretty good as well.”

It’s also led to more talk about how close Mitchell came to leaving Hawthorn and joining Essendon after the 2011 season, when he was having struggles at the Hawks.

“I’m pretty pleased I stayed at Hawthorn - we had a fair bit of success (after) that,” the four-time Hawks premiership star said.

“It all worked out fine.

“It’s this time of year, isn’t it? I’ve read there are probably 10 to 12 players whose names are getting pushed around.

“There’s lots of talk ... that’s how it works, that’s what happens, and we happen to be at the middle of a couple of those stories. But we’re also on the (periphery) of plenty of others.”

Mitchell would not be shocked if some of his players were talking with rival clubs.

“I can’t imagine we don’t have some contracted players who are meeting with other clubs. I wish they wouldn’t — I wish we could meet everyone else’s and no one could meet ours,” he said. “But that’s not the reality ... that’s the world we live in.”

Channel Seven expert commentator Thomas, who will call Friday night’s game and famously defected from Collingwood to Carlton, said Mitchell was continuing his playing philosophy of trying to win at all costs, and the league needed to adapt.

“If everyone’s doing, if you’re not first, you’re last,’ so you might as well join in before all the good players are gone and they’ve walked out of your club,” he told The Nightly.

“The rest of the clubs can sit there and complain, or you go, alright, well, if this is what’s happening, it’s a free for all.

“It has changed a lot. Player movement was still pretty foreign when I went from Collingwood to Carlton.”

In a comment clearly aimed at Merrett, Thomas said if players on long contracts desperately wanted out of a club, they needed to take a deal that suited their club — not just themselves.

“If you’ve said you don’t want to be here, fine, but it isn’t then our responsibility to make you happy,” he said the clubs should say.

“If you don’t want to be here, see you later, but we’re shopping you to whoever we get the best deal with — not wherever you want to go.”

Mitchell also revealed Jack Gunston, Jack Ginnivan, and Jarman Impey were all fit to play after pulling up sore after last week’s barnstorming away semifinal win over Adelaide.

“Gunners doesn’t train that much anyway,” Mitchell joked.