25 ICONS OF BROKEN HILL SPORT – Mitchell Clisby
A DASHING medium defender from the West Broken Hill Robins, Mitch Clisby is another 200-club state league player, who came out of Silver City footy.
The majority of his football was with the North Adelaide Football Club, but when coupled up with his two seasons on the Melbourne list, where he played eight AFL games and 38 with the Casey Scorpions in the VFL, his total reaches 200.
Calm, composed and efficient, Clisby had a strong skillset and never looked flustered in the heat of battle.
He first played at Prospect in the North Adelaide under 19s, the year he played with the New South Wales state under 18s team back in 2008.
He made his SANFL league debut in round 14 of the 2010 season on June 16 against Woodville West Torrens at home, when five-time premiership champion from Central District, Daniel Healy was the coach at the Roosters.
“Across my first couple of years at league level I wore the number 33 jumper,” Clisby said.
“After playing four (league) games at the end of ’10, I would have played about a dozen matches in 2011 and nearly every game in ’12.
“Josh Francou took over from ‘Heals’ in 2011 and coached the club for the next three seasons.
“In 2012 we (North Adelaide) got to the preliminary final and I got drafted to Melbourne under his tutelage.
“Josh played a big role in my development and helping me get drafted.”
Clisby spent the 2013 and ‘14 seasons on the Demons list, originally being AFL rookie listed at selection No. 19, in the 2013 rookie draft.
He played eight AFL games in the first year and spent the second season with Casey in the VFL, Melbourne’s feeder club, whilst playing consistent footy, not getting an opportunity at the top level.
He returned to Prospect in 2015, but also had a short-term contract with Essendon to play in the 2015 NAB Challenge pre-season series as a “top-up” player, due to the Bombers’ supplements controversy.
“I received a few different offers, but I was always coming back to Prospect,” Clisby said.
“Ken McGregor was our coach that year, but things didn’t go particularly well and Michael Handby took over mid-season.
“In 2016, Josh Carr arrived and we had a massive couple of years.
“We started getting wins on the board and the group’s confidence grew.
“Naturally the 2018 premiership was the pinnacle.
“Playing AFL football was a dream come true, but getting the flag was an amazing highlight.
“That year it was an incredible journey through the finals.”
North Adelaide came from the elimination final, defeating South Adelaide in the elimination final, Sturt in the first semi, before getting over Woodville West Torrens in a controversial preliminary final, where they had the 19th man saga.
Mitchell Clisby joined fellow Broken Hill football exports like Steve Hywood, Colin Casey, Peter Meuret, Chris Duthy and Kobe Mutch as SANFL premiership players in 2018, when North defeated favourites Norwood on grand final day, by 15 points.
He captained the North Adelaide Football Club for a pair of campaigns in 2016 and 2017, and also proudly wore the SANFL state jumper in a clash in 2016, besides his primary school mate Lachlan McGregor, defeating the VFL.
After the 2021 season Mitch Clisby retired from SANFL league footy, having played 154 games for the Roosters.
He took a year away from the club, returning as the Roosters’ reserves coach in 2023.
Away from football, Clisby was a primary school teacher, before returning to Prospect as the talent manager for all the North Adelaide junior programs and coach of the under 18s team.
With his wife Sarah, they have identical twin daughters Isla and Billie.
