“It’s the furthest thing from my mind. It’s round eight, they are really important parts of our club, of our team, our leadership model, of our influence and our weight of numbers in the group to try and get the best out of everyone,” Mitchell said.

“We are trying to master our craft and make progress in the direction that we would like to go and hold ourselves to the standard we think will take us to finals and be having the ability to win finals and they are going to be an important part of that.”

O’Meara and Mitchell’s production has dipped this season. Mitchell is averaging almost 26 touches per game, nine less than last year, and had only 14 against Essendon on Saturday when the Hawks conceded eight final-term goals. His metres gained has also dipped from 388 to 334.

Despite having 28 touches against the Bombers, O’Meara is averaging a modest 20 disposals per game, six less than last season, and has seen his metres gained drop from 341 to 248.

“He [Mitchell] has had a change of role. Across the last few seasons, our midfield has been a work in progress, and we are still really looking at trying to get the mix right. I think we have made significant changes through the year on how that has gone,” Mitchell said.

“We have had three different ruckmen, six or seven different guys through the midfield, as far as inside midfielders go and the wing. So, I think Tom and Jaeger are both spending less time in there but having contributions in different aspects of the game.

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“I think Jaeger’s performance on the weekend was really strong. Tom had a day he would prefer to do some things differently, but he is still learning the craft of a forward as well. He is still making a contribution to the team. It’s perhaps not as strong on the stats sheet as it was in the past, but he is still a vital player for us and a vital part of that midfield group.”

Draftee onballer Josh Ward (averaging 15 disposals in seven games) has impressed, while Jai Newcombe has emerged as a star.

There is also intrigue in terms of the Hawks’ captaincy. Ben McEvoy (currently in health-and-safety protocols) remains sidelined until after the mid-season break because of a serious neck injury, leaving O’Meara and James Sicily to share the top role. O’Meara held the role for four weeks, while Sicily began his stint against Melbourne a fortnight ago. Sicily’s stint will be reviewed after round 10.