#22 Luke Lewis
2012 was a turbulent year for Lewis both on and off the field. On the field, the Panthers finished up 15th on the ladder, Lewis tasted NRL victory only 4 times in his 13 appearances on the year. He found success however starting at lock for Australia in their Anzac Test victory over New Zealand, and despite his teams rancid run of form, he once again earned rep honours with NSW, turning out in all three Origins for the first time since 2004. Off the field, the 2012 year saw Lewis stripped of the captaincy of his beloved Panthers by new coach Ivan Cleary awarding the position to Kevin Kingston for the Origin period, much to the dismay of himself and many others. Once the Origin stretch came to a close, Cleary elected to persisted with Kingston as captain. Lewis was granted release from his contract 2 years early and signed on with Cronulla for the 2013 season, ending a relationship that began in 2001 and spanned 208 games including a Premiership in 2003. To cap off the year, Lewis had surgery as a result of being diagnosed with thyroid cancer. Much to the relief of everyone in the League community, the surgery was a success and Lewis was quickly back on the training paddock. Unfortunately, after the surgery, Lewis was unable to see out the last rounds of the season, robbing the long time Penrith soldier the chance to say goodbye to his legions of loyal fans.
Lewis is just one of many finding a new home at the Shire
At 29 and with over 200 games, Lewis has gone around the track and back in the NRL. In 2010 he was recognized as both the Dally M Lock of the Year and the RLIF Lock of the Year. He's turned out 12 times for Australia, starting in his last 10 tests. Lewis has made 5 appearances for NSW City, along with 11 for NSW and 1 game for the NRL All Stars. The Origin career of Luke Lewis is an interesting one, beginning in 2004 where he played all three games, 2 on the wing and 1 at centre, he didn't return back to the Origin arena until 2009 where he featured on the bench. Since then, Lewis has for the most part remained an interchange forward for NSW with a couple of starts in the second row. Despite playing most of his footy at lock or in the second row nowadays, Lewis is amongst the most versatile players in the competition. At some time or another, he's played 1st grade in every position on the field, he's started games for either NSW or Australia at wing, centre, lock and second row. He's also picked up Man of the Match honours playing both at halfback and five-eighth. The NRL features plenty of "versatile" players who can shift back and forth between the centres and the second row, but Lewis is a true Rugby League player, he can do absolutely everything.
This compilation really shows the rounded skill set he possess
As touched on, Lewis has fulfilled every role you could be asked to fill on the field. To do this, you need a pretty expansive and well rounded skill set, and that's exactly what Lewis has, a true jack of all trades. Nowadays, settled in at lock, it's his fantastic defense and strong off loading that stands out, but his other abilities often shine through. Not quite as fast as he once was when gallivanting on the wing where he was a reasonably prolific try scorer, he still has a lot of pace for a forward, and he's deceptively agile and shifty and has the strength to shake off defenders. He can be very dangerous with the ball in hand in the oppositions end where his playmaking instincts seem to take control and he'll often make the play to put a team mate through a gap, or take on the line himself and draw multiple defenders to him before popping out the offload. When he gets a bit of space, he isn't shy about pinning his ears back and showing a few glimpses of why he once played in the backs.
The load will likely be lighter for Lewis in Cronulla
For all of the good things to be said about Lewis's versatility, the modern incarnation of Lewis for me is most defined by the heart on his sleeve approach he displays on the field. This guy is a leader through and through, a great captain who has worked tirelessly for years on some pretty average Penrith outfits. Despite winning a Premiership in 2003, Lewis has appeared in only 5 NRL finals matches in his extensive career, and it says a lot about Lewis that a guy with his talent continued to persevere for his club rather than head for greener pastures, he always seemed destined to be a one club player until the tribulations of the 2012 season. He's a 'blood, sweat and tears" type of guy who will always give you everything he's got whether you are up by 20 or down by 20, he'll put his body on the line, he'll get smoked and get back up, he'll head to the sideline with blood gushing out and minutes later be heading back on to the field. He's the perfect fit for any team and a guy who can really serve as an inspiration to his team.
Check back in tomorrow for number 21 in the countdown. Lewis was another who didn't seem to have many highlight clips, funny how the backs get all the glory eh? if you have any comments, criticism, feedback, or just want some banter about league, give me a tweet @WellsNorthShore.
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