He's playing his last few games, he's won 4 premierships, we don't need him on the field anymore, he is required in the coaching box.

case closed, close thread.

We need his leadership and his experience. Rest him and freshen him up every 4 games or so and he would be re energized to go again.

Slow? yes he is however he has the know how and you don't have to be quick to play as a forward just know how to present yourself when it is your turn . Lewis is still a valuable asset and can help the young players. He is great coaching material on and off the ground.

Edited July 22, 20195 yr by nosoupforme

He'll be a FT media person next year as well as working on his Wine business. 

10 hours ago, John Demonic said:

Tim Smith never gets on the park. And there's no assurances that our rotten luck with injuries this year, will not occur again next year. Lewis is handy depth at worst even with his stumbling over and lack of pace. And if he continues this form for the next 6 games, will have shown himself to be providing far more value than ANB, JKH, Stretch, Wagner. Why have them on the list for a year over Lewis? Much depends on the upcoming trade period, but having him as a utility backup for one more year won't hurt. Do you think the club will actually reshuffle our forward line over the draft and trade period and add more depth to the position that he played today? Will we bring in another ready to go mid/wing at no cost to the current midfield group? Will Hibberd and Jetta remain injury free? They're getting older. I don't have a big amount of faith that we'll address the issues through the draft or trade period and we might be even less well off for depth next year if we get rid of another senior player that has shown the form to be selected over many others. Much depends on whether a few senior players actually choose us. We could get no-one.

If there is almost unanimous belief on this forum, that our club has the potential to bounce back up the top half of the ladder with a few tweaks to our game-plan, list, coaching staff and a bit of luck on the injury front and fixture, then a skillful kick and intelligent player like Lewis can surely provide value to a team that is paper thin for depth. If we think we're down the bottom next year or no better than a 9th/mid table team, then there is probably no point in him playing, and we need to blood a year into another kid.

Anyway, probably need to see the next two months. I was excited for his performance today as i've been wanting to see him forward for 3 years, given he kicked plenty of goals for Hawthorn, so maybe I got a bit overzealous in making this thread. The thread should be amended to "Lewis is NOT cooked, give him the remaining games to prove his value for a 1 year extension."

He’s a skillful kick in uncontested situations, any time he’s under pressure he goes to water and he sure isn’t breaking lines.

He can’t play as a deep defender or on a wing, so forget those options. 

With a preseason and good coaching we’ve got taggers and center square options. It’s nice he held Bont and Murphy a little but he wasn’t exactly Cam Ling in the middle. I’m happy to look to the state leagues or delistings to find a back up mid if we turf the ones we have. Kids are the real future there and can come on quickly. 

Half back he can probably still play a bit but I genuinely think Jones and even Josh Wagner make sense as the depth options backing up Salem, Hibberd and Hore with Jetta, Lever, Frost and May as the deeper defenders. Add Petty and Oscar as tall depth and a couple of kids and you’ve got a backline group.

Do I think the club will add forward depth and remodel the forward line - yes. Get Melksham and Tom McDonald back and there’s the remodeling. Melksham, Petracca and Fritsch are 3 mid sized attacking weapons who are miles ahead of Lewis. Hannan should be fitter and the small forward situation can’t get any worse. If we cut both the Smiths and couldn’t find just one midsized or tall forward then of course Lewis is better than no one but I find that hard to believe.

 

1 hour ago, olisik said:

Just can’t see Spargo, ANB, Garlett or Hannan becoming champions.

I don't disagree, but there will be about 8-10 players on our list at the beginning of next year who won't have played a game. It's one of them that I was thinking about.

he is slow and gives away stupid free kicks. for someone with high footy IQ he certainly does some idiotic things.

He was recruited to be a key player in the middle with his experience and ability to organise.

He was not recruited to play a negative defensive game in our F50.

Too slow, clumsy and unreliable to help us rise up the ladder.

His time has passed and we need new younger leaders and role models.

Made a contribution when we needed a cool head and a lift in reputation.

He should be thanked and offered a coaching role.

 

7 hours ago, Wiseblood said:

you would hope that a few of the kids would step up and take his place

None of them can replace his experience.

3 hours ago, olisik said:

Just can’t see Spargo, ANB, Garlett or Hannan becoming champions.

Not all players become champions, not even all players with long careers are champions.

Yeah not sure I agree......

The fact that players like JKH, Baker, Chandler, Jordon, C Maynard, T Bedford & C Wagner (up & til last week) are overlooked & Lewis is preffered sends a  clear message, that either the coaches don't rate our youngsters or they have a very high opinion of themselves & Lewis.......

Either way, we are in trouble if that's the case. A coaches role at best would be the appropriate move in my opinion.

Leigh Matthews and Kevin Bartlett were gun forwards in their twilight years. 

It is worth considering. I hope Goodwin keeps him forward now...

3 hours ago, nosoupforme said:

We need his leadership and his experience. Rest him and freshen him up every 4 games or so and he would be re energized to go again.

Slow? yes he is however he has the know how and you don't have to be quick to play as a forward just know how to present yourself when it is your turn . Lewis is still a valuable asset and can help the young players. He is great coaching material on and off the ground.

I have barely watched Brisbane this year, but they're going alright with Hodge who doesn't seem to have much leg speed.

Given our fwd line is a shambles and there's no guarantee that Tom Mc, Weid or Melk will return it to it's efficiency of 2018. They couldn't in 2019 even when melk was in there, he was playing well below and needed midfield time, so maybe Lewis up forward can play a type of forward line on field coach with positioning and negating EVERY teams Lever style player

Editing: does anyone actually think we're going to bring in another senior forward with a high "footy iq" in the trade period? No rumblings at all on DL

We cant just point to tmacs scarce output this year and say he will be consistent next year and everything will structure around him seamlessly again.

 

Edited July 22, 20195 yr by John Demonic

Another point. Are we not capable of bouncing back up into the top 4 next year? Have people written us off by saying we need to get games into a kid instead of Lewis? AFAIK nothing has changed in the last 3 seasons and Lewis can still be a player that adds experience and on-field coaching to a club that hopes to actually win a premiership next season.

I've been on the negative train for the past 2 months, but the competition is absurdly fickle right now and just about any club can finish Top OR bottom 4 under the right or wrong circumstances.

Edited July 22, 20195 yr by John Demonic

20 minutes ago, John Demonic said:

I have barely watched Brisbane this year, but they're going alright with Hodge who doesn't seem to have much leg speed.

Given our fwd line is a shambles and there's no guarantee that Tom Mc, Weid or Melk will return it to it's efficiency of 2018. They couldn't in 2019 even when melk was in there, he was playing well below and needed midfield time, so maybe Lewis up forward can play a type of forward line on field coach with positioning and negating EVERY teams Lever style player

Editing: does anyone actually think we're going to bring in another senior forward with a high "footy iq" in the trade period? No rumblings at all on DL

We cant just point to tmacs scarce output this year and say he will be consistent next year and everything will structure around him seamlessly again.

 

Hodge sits in the back pocket and dictates to his opponent and importantly he still has the physicality required to go win a contest when needed.

Melksham and Tom McDonald didn't play together when the midfield had any semblance of fitness and two way ability. I'm very confident that if they were playing now - or really any time after the bye - when our backline has got it together and our midfield are working hard that they would have success. 

Apart from getting those 2 back bringing in a Langdon on the wing should allow Fritsch more time forward. Spargo showed in year 1 he was crafty and smart, hopefully he gets back to that. Lockhart has had good moments. And the hope would be a top 5 pick gives us a player who can impact in the front half. A summer training together would surely help as well.

Lewis couldn't play as a flanker who tags hard running defenders, they are going to be too quick for him, and he'd struggle as an attacking forward, any good defender will have no issues shutting him down. Cleverly minding an interceptor worked once, but will it really be a lasting move? Apart from speed he lacks the height and strength. I can't think of any other 30+ slow midfielder transitioning to a forward role and I think that's for good reason.

7 minutes ago, DeeSpencer said:

Hodge sits in the back pocket and dictates to his opponent and importantly he still has the physicality required to go win a contest when needed.

Melksham and Tom McDonald didn't play together when the midfield had any semblance of fitness and two way ability. I'm very confident that if they were playing now - or really any time after the bye - when our backline has got it together and our midfield are working hard that they would have success. 

Apart from getting those 2 back bringing in a Langdon on the wing should allow Fritsch more time forward. Spargo showed in year 1 he was crafty and smart, hopefully he gets back to that. Lockhart has had good moments. And the hope would be a top 5 pick gives us a player who can impact in the front half. A summer training together would surely help as well.

Lewis couldn't play as a flanker who tags hard running defenders, they are going to be too quick for him, and he'd struggle as an attacking forward, any good defender will have no issues shutting him down. Cleverly minding an interceptor worked once, but will it really be a lasting move? Apart from speed he lacks the height and strength. I can't think of any other 30+ slow midfielder transitioning to a forward role and I think that's for good reason.

Best case scenario is that he actually is pushed out by the great form of the players you've mentioned, but he's still there in the likely event of injuries and to add a string to our forward bow in the event of a role best suited to him (We'll play him on Hodgey in the 2020 prelim ?)  We'll have to see if it works for the remaining month of footy though, but surely he offers more than Keilty and having him on the list if form remains.

Edited July 22, 20195 yr by John Demonic

Gee wiz.

What are we really after?

 

Clarkson must be laughing at us and some simpletons.  You can have your Jordan Lewis, he thought in 2016.  I'll invest in Mitchell Lewis, because one will be superfluous to the next flag assault.

Lewis did OK on McGovern, who spent the whole day peeling off Lewis at every opportunity.  If that is what you want to base our future on, good luck.

 

 

 

No wonder we are 2nd last.  Clinging on to yesterday's news in the hope we go from pathetic to hopeless is a real eye opener.

Edited July 22, 20195 yr by TGR

9 minutes ago, TGR said:

Gee wiz.

What are we really after?

 

Clarkson must be laughing at us and some simpletons.  You can have your Jordan Lewis, he thought in 2016.  I'll invest in Mitchell Lewis, because one will be superfluous to the next flag assault.

Lewis did OK on McGovern, who spent the whole day peeling off Lewis at every opportunity.  If that is what you want to base our future on, good luck.

No wonder we are 2nd last.  Clinging on to yesterday's news in the hope we go from pathetic to hopeless is a real eye opener.

We're actually hoping we go from 9th to 4th to 17th to 1st actually. You might want to read yesterdays news, it contains a Brisbane side with 5 wins in a season.

This isn't a 'future' in the mid-long term sense , it's a 2020 topic.

Edited July 22, 20195 yr by John Demonic

Let's wait until he does it more than once and without the surprise element.

27 minutes ago, John Demonic said:

Another point. Are we not capable of bouncing back up into the top 4 next year? Have people written us off by saying we need to get games into a kid instead of Lewis? AFAIK nothing has changed in the last 3 seasons and Lewis can still be a player that adds experience and on-field coaching to a club that hopes to actually win a premiership next season.

I've been on the negative train for the past 2 months, but the competition is absurdly fickle right now and just about any club can finish Top OR bottom 4 under the right or wrong circumstances.

Yes, and l agree with you say and believe that whatever the case  may be with us  in 2020 the competition will produce more surprises in team positioning on the ladder.

Minimal injuries a strong preseason  a good 1st round draft pick and a couple of tweaks is a recipe for a strong 2020.

15 hours ago, John Demonic said:

I feel we just look like a better and more balanced side whenever he's out there, whether it's in defence, midfield, or up forward now, he just gets to the right spots and I think it makes up for his lack of pace. 6 marks today and should've kicked 4. A brilliant negating effort on McGovern, outsmarted him with bodywork. He's obviously found a lot better form in the last month and in the VFL, if this continues, then surely he offers more value than taking on an extra list spot on rookie or kid. We need to keep as many players on our list who can kick and make smart decisions. Given the form rejuvenation, I hope he and the club reconsiders his on-field value for next year and gets him to go around 1 more year.

I'd just like to request that Mods don't merge this with the other thread. The title is a blight on the forum. JL is a 300 game great with multiple BOG level grand final performances and deserves better.

 

He was brilliant yesterday, but he has announced his retirement and best off he retire before he falls completely off the cliff 

I think that Lewis has had enough and would not look at going around next year. I think he is too smart to contemplate it.

He has been very good for us over the last few seasons both as an experienced head on the ground and more so on the training track. It will be interesting to see where he goes from here.

If he sees a future in coaching I would hope we make a pitch for him to stay on in a role at the club. He knows and understands the coaching set up and the playing group. I think he would have  lot to add to the club.

11 hours ago, Wiseblood said:

You never lose your footy IQ.  Lewis has it in spades, and it enables him to play roles like the one he did yesterday.

Does he deserve another year?  Possibly, but at his age, you would hope that a few of the kids would step up and take his place.  If he gets another year then I'm fine with it, but I'd also be disappointed in a few others for not making the improvement to have his spot in the side.

Name anyone in a dysfunctional forward line that has his smarts and record?

Another year IF he wants it!

3 hours ago, John Demonic said:

Best case scenario is that he actually is pushed out by the great form of the players you've mentioned, but he's still there in the likely event of injuries and to add a string to our forward bow in the event of a role best suited to him (We'll play him on Hodgey in the 2020 prelim ?)  We'll have to see if it works for the remaining month of footy though, but surely he offers more than Keilty and having him on the list if form remains.

I'm very confident there will be at least 30 players on our list who offer more than Lewis next year as well as 10 or so development kids.

I see the argument for a bit of experience in those lost 5 spots but at that stage it's the back ups to the back ups and you're looking at guys who can perform set roles. Keilty is exactly that, he played earlier this year when we were so short on key forward/back up rucks that we needed him. Of course Lewis will almost always be a better player than the bottom 5 on the list who often get delisted without games but I'd take my chances making sure we can fill holes with guys who may even have upside.

Truth is that after a season like this a cull is on the cards. It's a bad time to be out of contract and an even worse time on be on the wrong side of 30. Lewey is clearly in our best 22, but our best 22 sits second last with a garbage percentage.

Heads will roll, some justly and some unjustly. Lewey will become of those heads regardless of the next 5 weeks.

 

I'd rather keep him for another year than keep list cloggers and VFL stars like JKH and ANB.