50 minutes ago, Demonland said:

 

Would hope players should do that every year.

I like what he says. Makes sense, has moved on from Perth. 

 

All this talk about players giving everything this year has me more worried about burn out now I know every team needs to improve, but we weren't that far off it this year. A few wins and we are staring at a top 2 finish ABOVE the Eagles and their stadium and then who knows. We obviously had some glaring issues with our game plan mid year and needed a few tweaks and positional adjustments, but i just hope we don't suffer from any adverse effects of training TOO hard because we've undestimated how close we are, or being too crushed by the weight of expectations when we invariably have a few off-games next year. WCE still had their woeful games in a premiership year, case in point Essendon at home. It goes without saying that the converse of this problem is overestimating ourselves and not training hard enough. So balance. Train hard, give everything, but also know your limits.

 

Edited December 5, 20186 yr by John Demonic

Good to see Lewis has a similar attitude to Bernie's from last year.

2 hours ago, Redleg said:

Would hope players should do that every year.

Agreed. Its a BS headline and has no relevance to what he says quoted in the article. I dont think Lewis is the type that would know how to prepare any other way.

Drop a kg, nice one Lewy, must have chipped away at those concrete hands.

2 hours ago, Cards13 said:

Drop a kg, nice one Lewy, must have chipped away at those concrete hands.

Won't hurt as much when he can't keep his feet and goes to ground

Edited December 5, 20186 yr by Moonshadow

32 minutes ago, Moonshadow said:

Won't hurt as much when he can't keep his feet and goes to ground

Or sooks to the Umpires and gives away frees

5 hours ago, Redleg said:

Would hope players should do that every year.

Smacks of a player in the twilight of their career trying to get a one year extension. I'll be very happy if Lewis is demoted to Casey in round 3 because others have gone past him.

53 minutes ago, Moonshadow said:

Won't hurt as much when he can't keep his feet and goes to ground

Just goes to show that every player has their failings and strengths.  Lewis is a four time premiership player and still has the occational moment when he looks like a complete unco.  Pitty the average player in a poor side that suffers the same fate. So many observers are prepared to write off players, based on one or two moments in a game and ignore/be ignorant to the complete package.  Jack Fitzpatrick, Lynden Dunn and probably many others have suffered this fate in the past (even absolute guns like T Mac have copped this kind of flack).

As a MFC supporter I've certainly seen Lewy crap himself and fumble the heck out of it on a number of occations, but also seen him do some brilliant stuff, show the sort of leadership that has undoubtedly won us games in the past few years.  I hope the twilight years of his career are the best and most dignifying that he has spent as an AFL footballer (wearing red and blue, compared to poo brown and yellow is a good start).  I'd love it, to turn out that we had written off this guy as a has been prematurely and for him to pull out a rip snorter of a season.

Edited December 5, 20186 yr by Rodney (Balls) Grinter

19 minutes ago, dworship said:

Smacks of a player in the twilight of their career trying to get a one year extension. I'll be very happy if Lewis is demoted to Casey in round 3 because others have gone past him.

Why put down that kind of endeavor?

I love it that this guy is near the end, still fighting and not wanting to give it up.  We seem to have please of good young talent all of a sudden, which is good, but I think it's equally good that our young guys both have to fight for a spot in the side, at the same time as benifiting from the experience and leadership that a guy like Lewis brings to the table.  You can have experience around the place in a non playing capacity, but at the end of the day, I don't think it's the same.

Whilst I'm somewhat disappointed that Bernie didn't go out in a blaze of glory, I think he was still a more than worthy contributor for the vast majority of game he played this year and that he had earned a leave pass over the years for the few he might have under performed in.  Still such a thing as respect in football and whilst the talks that we will treat Lewis like any first year rookie, the reality is that he isn't and we will treat him accordingly. 

boy there is some negativity here

no one in the VFL side last year took his place and everyone knew it was up for grabs.

Let's see if one of them can take it this year. Personally I think his dedication etc is what we have been missing for twenty odd years if not more.

Yes im the same, hes been great. Hes has played many great games for the club. Show me 1 other player thats not infalable at some time? Its also what hes bought to the club respect and leadership. At the time he came,  we were screaming for leaders, when a few others who we thought were going to turn out be leaders, ala JH, really didnt pan out that way.

Ill support him until its time.

Interesting how some of the worst reactions are for those who didn’t read past the headline...

If you do this kind of thing, I won’t punish you - the cosmic forces of karma will get you back and real soon. Today?

Let me know how it got you back...

13 hours ago, Cards13 said:

Drop a kg, nice one Lewy, must have chipped away at those concrete hands.

Poor form cards. He was 3rd in the BnF

1 hour ago, Jock Strap said:

Poor form cards. He was 3rd in the BnF

In 2017. 

10th in 2018. 

1 minute ago, McQueen said:

In 2017. 

10th in 2018. 

10th is nothing to sneeze at. Snuck in to cost his players sponsors extra dough to sponsor him for the next year.

Some really crap comments in this thread. 

4 time Premiership player who wants to give it his all to get a 5th Cup at a 2nd Club

The exact attitude we need to cultivate 

thankyou Mr. Lewis

Ultimate professional and sets the standard on and off the field.

I'd expect him to play the majority of games, barring injury. with a new look defence, leadership, organisation and quality kicking are needed.

1 hour ago, DubDee said:

Ultimate professional and sets the standard on and off the field.

 

I have been a harsh critic and still am of Lewis but he was much better last year than I expected.  But calling him an "ultimate professional" is the sort of statement that turns my stomach.  He is grossly undisciplined on field probably costing us a finals position in his first year because for some unknown reason he decked Cripps 30 meters off the ball causing him to miss 3 weeks including a 4 point loss to Freo.

Last year he followed up by giving away a 50m penalty against Geelong in the first game costing a goal and the game.  Why?  Arguing with the umpire.

This is not "ultimate professional" behaviour.  This is undisciplined arrogance.  He is an enigma because he does a lot right but also has glaring weaknesses. It will be interesting to see when the footy department think the benefits no longer outweigh the weaknesses.

 

1 hour ago, Baghdad Bob said:

 

This is not "ultimate professional" behaviour.  This is undisciplined arrogance..

I think we end up at the same point in this, but I don't see it as arrogance. I just see it as an excellent footballer who is getting old and can't physically do the things he's been able to do before. It happens to a lot of footballers as they get old as they still have the competitiveness but can't do it physically like they used to so they play closer to 'the line' to make up for what they now lack. 

Letting go is hard, so sometimes you just do whatever you can to hang on. I think that this is what Lewis is doing (and Bernie too, to an extent). I certainly know that as my body slowed down my mouth sped up!

Sincerely hope he can't get a game next season.

4 hours ago, Baghdad Bob said:

I have been a harsh critic and still am of Lewis but he was much better last year than I expected.  But calling him an "ultimate professional" is the sort of statement that turns my stomach.  He is grossly undisciplined on field probably costing us a finals position in his first year because for some unknown reason he decked Cripps 30 meters off the ball causing him to miss 3 weeks including a 4 point loss to Freo.

Last year he followed up by giving away a 50m penalty against Geelong in the first game costing a goal and the game.  Why?  Arguing with the umpire.

This is not "ultimate professional" behaviour.  This is undisciplined arrogance.  He is an enigma because he does a lot right but also has glaring weaknesses. It will be interesting to see when the footy department think the benefits no longer outweigh the weaknesses.

The obvious reason he decked Cripps was that Cripps was killing us and Carlton were threatening to run over the top of us. Cripps was being a cocky little punt and Lewis reminded him he was playing AFL against a tough demon outfit.

Did he go to far ... yes. Did that win us the game ... most likely.

He also has 22 team mates who could have got us across the line vs Freo.

Lewis is judged far to harshly on here. He came to the club to show our boys how to win a premiership the way he has. There is a good reason he wasn't liked when he played at Hawthorn and the only thing that's changed is his colours.

 

13 hours ago, Jock Strap said:

Poor form cards. He was 3rd in the BnF

Don’t take it too seriously Jock, just messing about early doors preseason.

He had some good, ave and terrible last season. As Father Time keeps tapping away at him we will see less good, more more ave to terrible. 

He will be “stuck” on 4 flags I feel.