Tom Mitchell has made a successful return to the field for the first time since Anzac Day last year as he took to Genis Steel Oval for the Pies’ Round 7 VFL clash over the weekend.

Saturday’s game was exactly 380 days since the midfielder last played, having dealt with both foot and ankle injuries over the past 13 months.

He suited up for just a half against the Northern Bullants, but in typical Mitchell fashion, quickly racked up six clearances from his 10 disposals in a promising showing.

“It felt great (to be back out there) and it’s so good to be part of a winning team,” Mitchell said post match.

“This is what you really miss about footy, being part of a team that is very connected at both levels.

“I think in the AFL, we saw what happened Thursday (against Fremantle), but the VFL really followed that up nicely, a really connected group, played team footy right until the last minute in a big win so it’s really pleasing.”

The 2018 Brownlow medallist, who broke his leg the following pre-season while playing for Hawthorn forcing him out of the entire 2019 season, said it had been a tough past year watching from the sidelines.

At stages throughout he has looked as if he was ready to get back to playing, only to be dealt further setbacks, with the 31-year-old saying he has had to dig deep at times to get to this stage.

“I had to really test my resilience and discipline to levels I’ve never done before because when you’re a little bit older you have to sacrifice even more,” he said.

“I’ve stayed disciplined and resilient and it’s really paid off now, there were some hard and frustrating times, but it’s really paying off at the moment.

The game was his first ever in the VFL, however he has played a state league level before, famously racking up absurd disposal tallies during his NEAFL days while playing with the Sydney Swans between 2012-16.

The state league level also holds sentimental value for the 2023 AFL premiership player, with Saturday’s venue in Preston the place his father Barry used to coach at during the early 2000s.

“Dad used to coach Preston (in the VFL) years ago and I used to come here and watch a lot of footy as a junior,” he said.

“It was great to be out here playing footy and I’m really happy to be part of a win.”

With a half now under his belt, Mitchell will continue to ramp up his time on ground in the coming weeks, as the Pies prepare for the top-of-the-table GWS Giants in the VFL this Saturday morning.

“I think next week I’ll play three quarters, have a really good week on the track and get another two main training sessions, play three quarters and I’ll be very close to playing full games very soon,” he said.