Frei is a good signing and I'm certainly filthy about losing another prospect we sunk a lot of time developing.
Mitchell has been apart of the Broncos system since he was at least 15 and was along with Korbin our most talked about junior in that age group. Injuries at 17 set his career back but he had enough raw talent to become a permanent part of the Broncos NYC side in just his rookie season.
In 2011, Frei delivered on his promise and delivered a genuinely good season of NYC football where he played in every match for the Broncos. What set Frei apart that season was a good balance between quality and quantity. He wasn't a player who'd only look good in the realm of fantasy football, he was making mature decisions in both attack & defence.
This year the Broncos revised their development policy and fast-tracked him, Maranta & Whitchurch into QCup. From what I understand, his career sort of stagnated this season which is why he was demoted back to the NYC around half-way through the year. Once back in NYC, he was posting the same numbers as he did in 2011 and as expected was one of the better players in the side but he wasn't exactly blitzing the competition.
I can see him becoming a good player in the long-haul. He isn't going to set the world on fire in his first season but his versatility in the pack will ensure that he's going to be valuable and take his fair share of the load. I'm filthy we've let him go in favour of Stagg, Slyney, Lui & Anderson so all I can do is hope that he relishes his opportunity at the Knights and goes onto become a handy Origin player.
He's not the only talented League player of the family either, he's got two younger brothers who may end up joining him down in Newcastle. Right now, I believe they're affiliated with Melbourne.
