Scott Lewis.
LEWIS LOVED AT EAGLE LAND BY STEVE BARRETT Scott Lewis has spent a fair portion of the past few years taking on the role of nomadic drifter, wandering his way between clubs, searching for a real home. And no, that reference has nothing to do with his unkempt, dreadlocked hairdo. Itinerant Lewis bounced between clubs and competitions, unable to settle and find his niche anywhere. After leaving his original SANFL club West Adelaide to head home and play with his mates for Loxton North in the Riverland in 2007, Lewis switched to Glenelg in 2008, represented South Clare in the North Eastern Football League in 2009 and finally signed with Woodville-West Torrens last season. That’s a lot of travelling and a lot of transferring. But in the case of the three separate SANFL stints, there has been one common link - Mick Godden. “I’ve had him my whole career,” said Lewis, 24. “Godsy had faith in me and saw something in me that some other coaches didn’t - he’s given me a lot of confidence. Despite changing clubs on virtually an annual basis, the silky-skilled, gutrunning left-footer knew what he was searching for. “While I was at West Adelaide I just wanted to play League footy,” said Lewis, who made a stunning senior debut in 2005, collecting more than 30 possessions before injuring his right ankle in the final quarter. “(Coach) Shaun Rehn had faith in me early before dropping me and I left half-way through the year that (Wayne) Weidemann took over (2006). “I was sitting on the bench and being 18 years old, I didn’t like that. “I wasn’t playing League and it didn’t feel right that my folks, who were coming down every weekend, were watching me play a quarter of footy. “My partner at the time was telling me I wasn’t being looked after and the right thing would be to go back home and play; start enjoying it again.” In 2007 Lewis “tried to forget about SANFL for a while” and played in a losing Grand Final for Loxton North, before Glenelg coach Mark Mickan got in touch with Lewis’ dad about the prospect of becoming a Tiger. “He (Mickan) hinted at me playing League footy, but I only played two full games,” recalled Lewis, who took out the ‘08 Reserves Magarey Medal while there. “I wasn’t getting anywhere playing for the Bays, so I went to Clare to play with my brother, who I’d never played with before.” Lewis followed new Eagles coach Gooden to Woodville last year and signed just days out from <strong>Round</strong> One, before having his best-ever year. “I surprised myself a fair bit last season,” said clearance king Lewis, who lives with his brother and works in spare parts at the Maughan Thiem Ford Hyundai dealership at Cheltenham. “I did a full pre-season and Test your local footy knowledge You can now place a bet on all SANFL matches: head-to-head and premiership winner. Call 13 19 39, visit your local TAB or log on to TattsBet.com probably surprised a lot of people ... I reckon the only people I didn’t surprise were my mum and dad, who’ll always tell you how much they think you’ve got.” Lewis’ brilliant 2010 campaign ended on a sour note when he suffered a season-ending Grade 3 AC joint shoulder injury in the First Semi-Final against the Tigers, forcing him out of the following week’s heartbreaking Preliminary Final loss against Norwood. “It was pretty devastating, especially against my old team,” Lewis said. “I was pretty emotional after the game, but it’s definitely given me extra motivation this year, knowing that it can all be taken away from you, just like that.” Having won an U17s flag with the Bloods under Peter Simmons, an U19s flag with West under Godden and a Reserves pennant under Godden at Glenelg, there’s clearly only one missing puzzle piece, which Lewis is excited about striving for as a member of the Eagles, again with Godden in his corner. “I feel like I’m part of the nest here … I feel much loved,” said Lewis, who hasn’t had a hair-cut in about five years, but admits he’ll probably give his famous dreadlocks the chop soon after feeling them “snap and go bad” from chlorine after doing plenty of swimming in the pre-season. Lewis is very much an Eagles man now and it’s hard to see him absconding from the nest anytime in the future. Gamble Responsibly. 5