Player Watch Welcome to Hawthorn: Mitchell Lewis. Extended to 2026!

[MasterSamurai]

Mitch's strengths suit CHF but I wonder if we will start to look at playing him deeper just for the sake of his body.

İn the first few games for sure but once his fitness and game time catches up, he'll definitely be roaming higher up the ground. Calsher still needs time and a bit of protection to play that role.

 

[grumbleguts]

I met james blanck and his partner on my way to this years elimination final at glen waverley train station and i shook his hand,he had no limp and looked happy and smiling but what stood out was hes partner was atleast 4cm taller than him.

Get him to 100 games. ASAP.

 

[Dewyyyyy]

Mitch's strengths suit CHF but I wonder if we will start to look at playing him deeper just for the sake of his body.

I’m not sure, he has always been a strong runner, and whilst his injuries have been mainly different and freak incidents I can’t say I agree.

This knee may change things but he leaned out to be able to play CHF better as his game is suited to it, can rotate deep as he is a very big unit with great hands.

The thing he is so athletic, his work rate is top notch and he’s a beautiful field kick, but he also has strengths of his leading/leading patterns, great set of hands, cleanliness at ground level for a big guy and his set shot is very good.

It sucks that he has done this injury but it gives him time to be better on return, consistency and get the most out of himself, which is as a serious Coleman contender well and truly capable of dominating and kicking 50-60+ goals a year, even as a CHF.

 

[Sirlemsip]

I’m not sure, he has always been a strong runner, and whilst his injuries have been mainly different and freak incidents I can’t say I agree.

This knee may change things but he leaned out to be able to play CHF better as his game is suited to it, can rotate deep as he is a very big unit with great hands.

The thing he is so athletic, his work rate is top notch and he’s a beautiful field kick, but he also has strengths of his leading/leading patterns, great set of hands, cleanliness at ground level for a big guy and his set shot is very good.

It sucks that he has done this injury but it gives him time to be better on return, consistency and get the most out of himself, which is as a serious Coleman contender well and truly capable of dominating and kicking 50-60+ goals a year, even as a CHF.

Sam really seems to have a focus on bringing in (and keeping) players with solid football IQ.

Lewis, Dear, Moore, McDonald, Watson, Ginnivan, Gunston and Breust are all players that have a great understand of the game, positioning and leading patterns.

Its one of the reasons why we troubled other teams so much when things started to click at the end of the year.

Having a player like Lewis in the side who has a massive tank and can pull the best defender out on a lead will make things much easier for Chol (who will now have the 2nd defender) and Dear (I feel sorry for anyone playing on him next year once Mitch is back in the side).

 

[Dewyyyyy]

Sam really seems to have a focus on bringing in (and keeping) players with solid football IQ.

Lewis, Dear, Moore, McDonald, Watson, Ginnivan, Gunston and Breust are all players that have a great understand of the game, positioning and leading patterns.

Its one of the reasons why we troubled other teams so much when things started to click at the end of the year.

Having a player like Lewis in the side who has a massive tank and can pull the best defender out on a lead will make things much easier for Chol (who will now have the 2nd defender) and Dear (I feel sorry for anyone playing on him next year once Mitch is back in the side).

Yeah it all works and clicks once Mitch is back. He himself is a brilliant player and could dominate but he allows such flexibility and growth in others games too.

 

[OnTheRocks]

So want him out on the ground next year, would luv to see the best of him. Big leading forward taking marks, crashing packs, taking the best defenders. This would allow Bambi to roam and frolic on the soft green grass & grow into his role. A lurking Sicily would be stuff of nightmares for oppo team defenders. Chol launching into & over packs (frig I hope he holds 1 next year) bringing our mosquito fleet into play.
Our high marking along with our fast footed players will be oppo coaches capitulation. Should be lots of over 100 scores if we can get Mitch on the ground.

 

[JZedd]

I'm hoping Mitch Lewis is ready to play around the end of April. Huge addition to our fwd line.

 

[Noel Gallagher]

I'm hoping Mitch Lewis is ready to play around the end of April. Huge addition to our fwd line.

No chance of that happening - he did his knee on the 27th of July. Club will be cautious and give him at least one full year off before he plays his first game given his previous knee issues

And this is assuming all goes well with his rehab and he doesn’t have any significant setbacks

Mid August 25 is best case scenario IMO

 

[Strapping Young Lad]

Mid August 25 is best case scenario IMO

It’s not.

 

[I wanna pash Nash]

It’s not.

You're right, it's not best case. But his return is more likely going to be closer to 12 than 9 months. Lots of water to go under the bridge yet.

 

[Brant]

I'm hoping Mitch Lewis is ready to play around the end of April. Huge addition to our fwd line.

Great, if he is, but absolutely unnecessary of its in any way 'rushing him back'.

I don't agree with 'caution for caution's sake', but I hope we're looking at his recovery holistically. I.e. Don't bring him back with his knee fixed, only for him to do a hammy a week later (which could be unavoidable - I get it).

I really hope his body is healing all his other niggles whilst his knee is recovering & we bring him back proper ready.

 

[I wanna pash Nash]

Great, if he is, but absolutely unnecessary of its in any way 'rushing him back'.

I don't agree with 'caution for caution's sake', but I hope we're looking at his recovery holistically. I.e. Don't bring him back with his knee fixed, only for him to do a hammy a week later (which could be unavoidable - I get it).

I really hope his body is healing all his other niggles whilst his knee is recovering & we bring him back proper ready.

From the outside looking in Mitch has had a lot of "grumbles" for a while.

Hopefully the time off contact and high intensity running will give him some space to put that behind him.

ACLs are amazing these days. The rehab is really holistic and well understood. Given he had a contact mechanism and not an open field mechanism. He shouldn't have any huge risk of re rupture.

In short, hopfully it's the reset his body needs. Getting another 6 years of quality footy out of Mitch would be huge for our premiership aspirations.

 

[Strapping Young Lad]

 

[Bugs1977]

From the outside looking in Mitch has had a lot of "grumbles" for a while.

Hopefully the time off contact and high intensity running will give him some space to put that behind him.

ACLs are amazing these days. The rehab is really holistic and well understood. Given he had a contact mechanism and not an open field mechanism. He shouldn't have any huge risk of re rupture.

In short, hopfully it's the reset his body needs. Getting another 6 years of quality footy out of Mitch would be huge for our premiership aspirations.

He sprained his ACL in a preseason match simulation at the end of January 2023. The article below doesn't say it but I'm 99% sure that it was his left knee that this so called sprain occurred.

Hawthorn suffer fresh injury blow with Mitch Lewis to miss Round 1

The Hawks key forward has suffered an untimely setback.

www.zerohanger.com

I've heard it a couple of times now that he ruptured the ACL in his good knee which is wrong. Going by the video below if it was his good knee then it would've been his right knee but as you can see in the video it was his left ACL that he ruptured. It was reported that he had a little trouble with his right knee but that isn't uncommon to have when you hurt the opposite knee.

Huge Hawk worry with Lewis dazed in brutal clash

Returning Hawthorn forward Mitch Lewis comes off the field woozy after being collected high in this sickening contest

www.afl.com.au

The reason I bring this up again is because I truely believe that all his issues point back to the original knee injury which was the so called knee sprain which I feel has had a domino effect to all his other injuries. Even when he came back for that lone game against Geelong he wasn't moving like the Lewis we've all come to know.

This guy is going to surprise a few at the back end of next season.

 

[TylerDurden]

Seems ahead of schedule.

 

[Brant]

Seems ahead of schedule.

HAHAHAHA

Classic fake! Look at the way the shadow changes direction when he's running. It's like he's running, but his steps carry no weight.

Haven't seen an effort like that since the 'so called' Moon Landing

 

[Dewyyyyy]

No chance of that happening - he did his knee on the 27th of July. Club will be cautious and give him at least one full year off before he plays his first game given his previous knee issues

And this is assuming all goes well with his rehab and he doesn’t have any significant setbacks

Mid August 25 is best case scenario IMO

Yeah nah, he’s recovering brilliantly well currently and if he stays on track he’ll be back well before then.

 

[Dewyyyyy]

Seems ahead of schedule.

Definitely is, Blanck was only on this a few weeks ago and he did his in the preseason of 2024.

 

[I wanna pash Nash]

Definitely is, Blanck was only on this a few weeks ago and he did his in the preseason of 2024.

Blanck has had multiple infections, he isn't the norm.

Mitch looks like he's had no setbacks and is on schedule for a return somewhere between 9 and 12 months. Looks in good nick. Hopfully can get a lot of conditioning in post January.

 

[Dewyyyyy]

Blanck has had multiple infections, he isn't the norm.

Mitch looks like he's had no setbacks and is on schedule for a return somewhere between 9 and 12 months. Looks in good nick. Hopfully can get a lot of conditioning in post January.

He isn’t the norm but it’s quite nuts even with setbacks they’re basically at the same point now.

He’s ahead of schedule and no set backs, at worst he’s back around the mid season bye but best case he could be back within the first portion of 2025.

 

[I wanna pash Nash]

He isn’t the norm but it’s quite nuts even with setbacks they’re basically at the same point now.

He’s ahead of schedule and no set backs, at worst he’s back around the mid season bye but best case he could be back within the first portion of 2025.

Look I'm not trying to be pessimistic here and this is going to be a long reply cause I love this stuff. I'm just trying to set some realistic expectations.

Generally, having your first run (on altered gravity) more than 14 weeks post op is not "ahead of schedule" for an ACL repair. It's on or even a little behind to be completely honest. The club is most likely stoked with his progress, and as they have all the relevant info would be the only ones who know if he's ahead or not currently.

Some are slower to run than others. Mitch is a tall athlete with a bit of weight (probably over 100kg), it makes sense that he's taking a little longer to run.

But it doesn't really matter. Your first 3-4 months are important but you can make up a lot of ground over the next 6-9 months if you avoid any hiccups. Likewise you can have hiccups at any point that but the breaks on a good recovery.

Most AFL(W) athletes return somewhere between 9-15 months post op. The average is blown out a bit by someone in Sic's case who could have returned at the end of season but there was no value in him doing that so they waited. It is true we are seeing more and more return before 12 months which is great and testimony to both the performance teams and the players professionalism.

For what it's worth I think the earliest we can realistically expect to see Mitch is after Easter (just after 9 months) but would expect the club to hold him back until after the mid season bye given his history.

They might not, he might fly through the next 6 months with no issues and be right as rain. It's too hard to postulate given all the things that can happen between now and then.

I'm just seeing a subtle shift in that people on here were initially thinking mid season was optimistic, now it's early next season. I'd hate for Mitch to return post bye, which I stress is a normal return for an ACL and people think he's behind schedule and start question his rehab or the performance teams management.

TLDR; he'll kick 10 on Easter Monday.

 

[eldorado]

No chance of that happening - he did his knee on the 27th of July. Club will be cautious and give him at least one full year off before he plays his first game given his previous knee issues

And this is assuming all goes well with his rehab and he doesn’t have any significant setbacks

Mid August 25 is best case scenario IMO

You think they'd bring him back just for Round 24? If he's not ready before then, they'd probably keep him on ice until 2026

All things going well, he should be aiming for most of the second half of next year.

 

[The Golden Glenferrie]

You think they'd bring him back just for Round 24? If he's not ready before then, they'd probably keep him on ice until 2026

All things going well, he should be aiming for most of the second half of next year.

Why aim for 2026. Let's temper expectations and aim for late 2027. Just to be sure

 

[grumbleguts]

All this discussion about his recovery time line, and no one is addressing the elephant in the room. How the f**k did he not get a free kick in the incident that ruined his knee?

 

[Roddy]

All this discussion about his recovery time line, and no one is addressing the elephant in the room. How the f**k did he not get a free kick in the incident that ruined his knee?

Got a violent shot to the head from behind that put him down, knocked him out and did his knee. Play on.

He comes off with claret pissing out of his scone.

Literally two minutes later, Blicavs gets minimal, incidental contact to the head that barely ruffles his hairstyle, beep, ump falls all over himself paying him a free.

Farcical.