Laurie Mithen

DOB: 15 April, 1934
Debut: Round 1, 1954 against Collingwood at MCG
Last Game: Semi Final 1962 against Carlton at MCG

Games: 153
Goals: 108
Career Statistics

From: Ormond

Number: 11 1954-1962

Honours:
Premiership Player - 1955, 1956, 1957, 1959, 1960
Grand Final team - 1954, 1958
Best and Fairest - 1958, 1959
Victorian State Player - 1958
Team of the Century member
150 Heroes selection

Recruited from Ormond - where had just won a best and fairest - Mithen had wanted to go to Richmond but was zoned to the Demons instead. It didn't take him long to come to terms with being a Melbourne player.

Originally a half-forward he moved into the centre and became a tough, clever midfielder. Never playing less than ten games in a season he was a Grand Final player in his first year, and a premiership player in the second. He won another flag in 1956 and was well on the way in 1957 before a broken foot robbed him of six weeks of football. Nevertheless he made it back into the side and played in that year's Grand Final triumph.

1958 was a career year for Mithen as he won his first Best and Fairest award and represented Victoria. The next season he added another "Bluey", and despite only kicking seven goals for the season he had six in one quarter against Fitzroy in Round 3.

1960 was another excellent year for Mithen and he played in his fifth premiership side. The next year the Demons were outed in the finals, and it was Mithen being felled 80 metres behind play which caused the Demons to go off the boil in their Semi Final loss against Hawthorn.

At the end of 1962, a year he served as vice-captain, Mithen accepted a job as the captain/coach of Port Melbourne. He played 52 games total for Port, and then moved to the WAFL to play for Claremont.

Mithen named as an interchange player in the club's Team of the Century.

Links
Wikipedia profile