Sam Mitchell addresses bombshell meeting with Zach Merrett after booting Adelaide out of finals

Hawthorn coach Sam Mitchell has no regrets about trying to recruit Essendon’s contracted captain Zach Merrett.

Mitchell says he wasn’t distracted by the furore over his meeting with Merrett ahead of the Hawks’ resounding semi-final win over Adelaide.

Hawthorn trounced the Crows by 34 points to book a preliminary final against arch rivals Geelong at the MCG on Friday night.

The triumph came amid controversy surrounding Mitchell for meeting with Merrett, who is weighing his future despite being contracted for two more seasons at Essendon.

“I’m not going to get into any details,” Mitchell said after Hawthorn’s 14.17 (101) to 10.7 (67) win over the Crows.

“But our playing group, I couldn’t have prepared any better for this game, that’s what I would say.

“My job is to win as many games as I possibly can as the coach of this club and to improve this club in any way I see fit.

“So I will continue to do that.”

Mitchell weathered a similar storm in April when it was revealed he had met West Coast’s captain Oscar Allen in a bid to recruit the star Eagle.

Allen has walked out on West Coast but nominated Brisbane as his preferred destination, while Merrett’s future at the Bombers is now clouded.

But Mitchell was unperturbed after steering the Hawks to their first preliminary final since the club’s 2015 premiership season.

The fourth-year Hawks coach said the prelim would be eagerly anticipated, given his club’s rivalry with an “annoyingly good” Geelong.

“Every prelim, it doesn’t matter who’s playing in it, is going to be massive,” Mitchell said.

“Every club wants to be here.

“The fact that it’s Hawthorn-Geelong probably adds a little bit of extra spice.

“And hopefully we can pack out the ‘G and make it make a great spectacle, and that the brown and gold army comes out and leaves on top.”

Hawthorn’s path to this year’s preliminary final was paved with the heartache of losing an away semi-final last season to Port Adelaide by just three points.

“I sat here at this exact table this time last year heartbroken by the by the loss and the missed opportunity of what could have been,” he said in Adelaide Oval’s media room.

“Everyone had a level of pain and understanding that getting that far is really difficult and enormously hard work.

“You have got to have a huge amount of respect for the teams that just back it up year after year after year - and Geelong are obviously one of those.

“I’m sure you’ll plant them as the favourites, which they should be.

“They’re a very sound team, they have been here before, and they’re annoyingly good.

“And hopefully it’s our turn to get rid of them.”