DOB: 15 April 1934
Died: 2 February 2022
Debut: Round 1, 1954 against Collingwood at MCG
Last Game: Semi Final 1962 against Carlton at MCG
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 interchange
150 Heroes selection
Life Member - 2013
MFC Hall of Fame - 2003
Games: 153
Goals: 108
Career Statistics
| Wins | Draws | Losses | Winning % |
| 114 | 1 | 38 | 74.50 |
Recruited after being winning the VAFA A Section Best and Fairest, Mithen wanted to join Richmond but was residentially zoned to Melbourne. Originally a midfield, Mithen was moved to half-forward midway through his first year. As his career progressed Mithen moved back to 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 - despite missing a match after suffering frostbite in his feet - 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.
In 1961 he played 17 games despite missing three weeks in the middle of the year with fractured cheekbones. First he was injured on the left side against Collingwood in Round 8, and after a two week break he returned for the Round 11 win over Richmond and injured the right side. The second injury was less severe and he only missed a week.
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 between 1963 and 1965, including the 1964 premiership then moved to the WAFL to play for Claremont. He played 34 games there over two seasons.
Mithen was named as an interchange player in the club's Team of the Century.
AFLW premiership player Lily Mithen is a distant relative, her grandfather was Laurie's cousin.
| Year | Games | Goals | Brownlow |
| 1954 | 13 | 6 | 2 |
| 1955 | 17 | 22 | 2 |
| 1956 | 18 | 8 | 0 |
| 1957 | 12 | 1 | 0 |
| 1958 | 20 | 1 | 3 |
| 1959 | 19 | 7 | 5 |
| 1960 | 20 | 3 | 3 |
| 1961 | 17 | 23 | 1 |
| 1962 | 17 | 37 | 1 |
Notes
Some sources list his origin as Hampden Rovers.
Media
Argus - 08/01/1954
Argus - 18/06/1956
Age - 03/07/1956
Age - 03/07/1961
melbournefc.com.au - 22/03/2013
melbournefc.com.au - 03/02/2022
Melbourne Past Players newsletter - 01-02/2022
Links
Boyles Football Photos
Demonwiki image gallery
Ormond FC
VFA Project profile
WAFL Footy Facts profile
Wikipedia profile