AFL
Jake Michaels, ESPN Senior Writer 6y

Jordan Lewis feeling the nerves ahead of finals date with Hawthorn

AFL

MELBOURNE, Australia -- Melbourne defender Jordan Lewis says he could never have imagined he would be preparing for a high-stakes semifinal against his old side Hawthorn.

Lewis, 32, spent 12 seasons at the Hawks and was part of the dynasty that contested five grand finals and won four premierships between 2008-15. Ahead of the 2017 season Lewis crossed to the Demons -- as the Hawks looked to inject some youth into their squad -- and has since provided his new side with experience and composure off halfback.

Speaking ahead of Friday night's blockbuster semifinal, Lewis said it was a strange feeling knowing he'll have to get past his old team to push through to a preliminary final berth - a stage the Demons have not reached since 2000.

"It's really bizarre and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a bit nervous for this week," Lewis told ESPN. "The uneasy part of it is that you don't know how you're going to perform and you don't know how the team's going to perform."

"Both sides missed finals last year and both sides have probably had up and down seasons this year. They will obviously be reeling from their loss to Richmond and know this is now a do-or-die match."

It won't be the first time Lewis will line up against many of his former teammates. In addition to their 2017 meeting, the two sides met in Round 4 this year, a clash which was dominated by the Hawks who kept Melbourne to just 48 points, their lowest score of the season.

Lewis said it was a pivotal game for the club in their development and insists the playing group will be drawing plenty from that loss.

"Hawthorn just controlled the game [in Round 4] and played the way they wanted to play. We just couldn't peg it back," Lewis told ESPN. "That was a big week in terms of our development and understanding that you've got to respect the game and also play four quarters.

"It was a lesson learned and no doubt we'll pick up on a few of those things this week."

Melbourne skipper Nathan Jones echoed Lewis' comments and also singled out the former Hawthorn star as someone who will have a significant role to play this week both on and off the field.

"It was a real eye opening day for us earlier in the year," Jones told ESPN. "At the time we were really struggling from a defensive point of view but that's sharpened up a lot in the last five or six weeks. It's going to be a big challenge for us and we're looking forward to seeing how we measure up against them now.

"He (Lewis) will be able to give us some real insight into players and their strengths and weaknesses. What he has brought to us is the leadership, composure aspect and calmness in the chaos. He's obviously been there and experienced numerous amounts of times."

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