Jordan Lewis Bids Farewell

Former Hawk and current Melbourne Demon Jordan Lewis, 33, has retired. His last game was the Round 23 match. In an unusual move, Hawthorn Coach Alastair Clarkson and Melbourne Coach Simon Goodwin both attended the press conference at which Lewis made his announcement. The idea to have both coaches present was Melbourne's and both coaches were full of praise for the impact Lewis had on their teams.

Goodwin said, "We had the opportunity to bring Jordan to the ... club, you heard what a great person he was,

but it wasn't until he came through the door you realized the quality of the person ... He was a winner, he was a competitor and he wanted to come because he wanted to bring leadership and he wanted to continue to win. He played every position on the ground except for ruck. He went into our midfield group when we weren't functioning ... and got them to really buy into the team, he went into our forward line to help shape them in a really difficult season for us. And he's been an on-field leader and coach for us this season."

Clarkson spoke in a similar vein, with a few anecdotes Lewis may have preferred he not mention, "I can remember Shane (Lewis' father) pulling me aside when we were down in Warrnambool and saying to me, 'Listen, if young Jordy ever gives you the sh-ts, just give him a good swift kick up the [expletive]. We had guys like (Luke) Hodge and (Sam) Mitchell, (Brad) Sewell and (Shaun) Burgoyne ... who were high-quality midfielders. 'Tas' (Lewis) was always the sacrificial one, we knew that he could play other positions, so we'd quite often push him out onto the wing. I remember one day we played Collingwood and Heath Shaw was right at the height of his career, and 'Tas' played on him and kicked five on the half-forward flank in a defensive role. He was a real in and under ferocious competitor at ground level ... Then, b*gg*r me, he was really good at second-man up in the ruck contests ... ".

Lewis said while he felt he could physically play on next year, he wasn't prepared for the mental workload "...I've really enjoyed my time at this (Melbourne) football club, and as Clarko touched on, you meet so many new people you may not have necessarily met ... " and joked that, I may have made a few more fans who probably hated me for a long period of time ... This year has been a tough year, not only for the football club but for me as well ... ".

Lewis hopes to continue in the industry in some capacity, saying it would be a waste of his 15 years of experience to just walk away completely and would consider a media role, "I've been pretty fortunate to be exposed over the last six years to TV and radio. That probably excites me a lot, to try and convey to the people who might not necessarily get access to the change room talk or philosophies, or the way the game is played, and try to articulate that to them. He again joked, "... if there are any jobs out there, email them through."

It was at the end of the 2015 season when Clarkson and the club decided his services and those of Sam Mitchell were no longer required. It was a shock decision for two of the club's favorite sons. While Lewis landed at the Demons in the 2016 trade period, Mitchell crossed to the West Coast Eagles.

JORDAN LEWIS
GAMES: 264 (Hawthorn), 55 (Melbourne), through Round 23
GOALS: 161 (through Round 23)
Premierships 2008, 2013-2015
All-Australian 2014
Rising Star nominee 2005 
Peter Crimmins Medal (Hawthorn Best & Fairest) 2014

Source: afl.com.au