Bye-bye birdie: Mitchell farewells Bulldogs as Swans saga starts

The 20-year-old landed in Gunnedah two years ago, as a talented footballer whose promise seemed destined to remain unfulfilled after she had decided to leave Aussie Rules behind.

But a spur-of-the-moment decision prompted her to join the Bulldogs in 2020 and make a return to the sport she had loved all her life.

On Saturday, she was hoisted on to her teammates' shoulders and carried off Tamworth's No. 1 Oval after her final game for the club, with an AFLW debut on the horizon.

That her farewell from the Bulldogs was marked by a 15.16.106 to 3.0.18 win over the Tamworth Kangaroos capped off an exceptionally emotional few weeks for Mitchell.

"I had my little cry at the beginning of the game," Mitchell said.

"I gave the girls a pep talk about how important the game is, and to go hard and finish on a high."

From here, Mitchell will relocate to Sydney to begin preparations for the Sydney Swans' maiden AFLW season.

She was signed to the club in March, but had enough time before she departed to Sydney to play three of Gunnedah's first four matches of the season.

On Saturday, she put in another trademark performance, playing a crucial role at half-back before transitioning to full forward late in the game and kicking two goals.

"This season I've been playing her at half-back and she's been an absolute powerhouse there," Bulldogs coach Jakob Vearing said.

"But I wanted to put her in the forwards, just to see her finish on a couple of strong goals. She did snag a couple of good ones, it was awesome to see."

The impact of Mitchell's departure, Vearing said, will not just be felt at the club, but across the women's competition as a whole.

Aside from her technical ability and knowledge of the game, the Bulldogs coach believes Mitchell's sheer presence on the field "forces" both her teammates and opponents "to be better, and to aspire to more".

But just because it is the end of her current stint with the Gunnedah club, it is not the end of her connection to the town.

Mitchell will base herself in Sydney for the lead-in and duration of the season, but will return to Gunnedah for the rest of the year where her partner, Will, remains.

"We're going to test it out and see how [living apart] works, we're not too worried about it," Mitchell said.

"I'll be back most weekends, and he'll be down in Sydney visiting me ... I'll be back at the end of the year, it's not too long at all."

The AFLW pre-season will get underway on June 13, with the first round set for the weekend of August 25-27.

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