By Peter Ryan and Andrew Stafford
In today’s AFL Briefing, your wrap of footy news:
- Hawthorn’s Mitch Lewis has suffered a torn ACL.
- Tom Stewart finds inspiration from the most unlikely of places to reignite his season.
- Melbourne superstar Max Gawn will miss Saturday night’s blockbuster with Essendon through injury.
- The Brisbane Lions have cancelled the membership of a fan who racially vilified Adelaide player Izak Rankine on social media.
Luckless Lewis ruptures his ACL
Peter Ryan
Hawthorn forward Mitch Lewis has been dealt a devastating blow after scans revealed the 25-year-old tore his ACL when he landed awkwardly after trying to take an intercept mark in the final quarter of the match against Geelong on Saturday.
Lewis flew for a ball kicked across the ground to Geelong defender Jake Kolodjashnij and copped an accidental elbow to the head before he landed with his knee buckling. He did not receive a free kick in the incident.
Mitch Lewis left the ground limping after a heavy clash, and scans have shown he tore his ACL.Credit: Getty Images
The Hawks hoped he might escape with a medial collateral ligament injury, but he will head in for surgery this week and be sidelined for a year.
It was Lewis’ first game since round four after he battled to overcome a different knee issue.
He has endured a frustrating 18 months with a sprained ACL tear sidelining him at the start of 2023.
Hawks football manager Rob McCartney said the club would wrap its arms around Lewis.
“He has worked so hard to get his body right and return to AFL level, and this injury was a cruel blow,” McCartney said.
“While this will spell an end to his season, we are confident that, with expert guidance of our medical team and the strength of Mitch’s character, he will work his way through the immediate challenges that lie ahead.
“Only being 25 years of age, I’m extremely confident that, following his rehab, Mitch has a bright future ahead in the brown and gold and is an integral part of what we are building at our football club.”
Lewis has kicked 125 goals in 70 games with the Hawks.
Tom Stewart breaks Massimo D’Ambrosio’s tackle on his way to a best on ground performance against Hawthorn.Credit: AFL Photos via Getty Images
Stewart gets inspiration from Stringer to recapture his form
Peter Ryan
The way Essendon have maximised the enigmatic Jake Stringer’s impact in 2024 motivated Geelong star Tom Stewart to consider a move into the midfield to play on the Bombers’ star and reignite the Cats’ season after a flat patch.
The five-time All-Australian defender revealed a catch-up with coach Chris Scott before the round 16 clash against the Bombers led to the pair settling on Stewart starting in the centre alongside skipper Patrick Dangerfield and selfless onballer Tom Atkins.
Although Stewart’s form across half-back had not been terrible, opponents were sitting on him, frustrating his ability to rebound and, in the process, gaining a psychological edge over the Cats.
“[The conversation with Scott] wasn’t anything groundbreaking,” Stewart said post-game.
“[We] sort of floated Jake Stringer and the sort of things he does up in the CBs (centre bounces) and going forward, and got to a point where I was kind of like: ‘Why don’t I just stay around the ball?’”
The move worked, with Stewart finding belief as much as the ball against the Bombers before being close to best on ground against Hawthorn, winning three centre clearances and also proving hard to pass when the Hawks wanted to move the ball from their defensive 50. He became an intercepting midfielder.
Stewart is an intense character on game day, but he was prepared, he says, to put himself out there and positively approach the shift to a role he had rehearsed, at times, during the off-season.
“It’s hard not to overthink it but once you’re out there, you sort of play on instinct. I just had a couple of cues tonight to work on, and then I just play[ed] the game from there,” Stewart said.
“It’s hard not to just fold back and just try and get behind the footy. I think that’s still the most natural tendency. It’s just putting myself out there and just trying to help where I can.”
The move wasn’t the only one the Cats made at that point, with Max Holmes reverting to defence, where his line-breaking runs are difficult to stop.
Sam De Koning made a surprise appearance in the ruck and Shannon Neale and Gary Rohan revitalised the forward line after Tom Hawkins was injured.
Stewart also claimed he was immune to the constant external discussion about the jobs opposition clubs were doing to curtail his influence, as the Cats lost six games within a seven-match span.
“I don’t listen to it … I’ve played a lot of footy now, not only at this level … [but] at South Barwon and then the VFL. If I get caught up with other people’s opinions, then I would be in a very dark place,” he said.
“I wasn’t shooting the lights out, but [my form] was probably a bit of a byproduct of the way the team was going.”
The Cats’ vice-captain said Lawson Humphries’ debut against the Bombers and the return of Shaun Mannagh against the Hawks gave him a lift as the team refocused on winning contests and defending.
Demons skipper Max Gawn on crutches, out for two to three matches
Peter Ryan
In a massive blow to the Demons’ chances of making the top eight, Melbourne skipper Max Gawn has been ruled out for two to three matches with an ankle injury.
He will miss Saturday night’s vital clash against Essendon and the following match against Fremantle in Perth. He could also be sidelined for round 20, when the Demons play the Giants, who are currently ahead of the 10th-placed Melbourne on percentage.
Max Gawn gets his ankle treated during the win over West Coast.Credit: AFL Photos via Getty Images
Gawn hurt his right ankle late in the second quarter of Sunday’s 54-point win over West Coast and was substituted out of the game during the final quarter. Scans revealed he had suffered a chip to the base of his right fibula.
The injury occurred when Gawn went to kick the ball out of the centre and his foot instead cannoned into the body of West Coast young gun Harley Reid.
Demons coach Simon Goodwin played down concerns over Gawn in his post-match press conference.
But Gawn was on crutches at AAMI Park on Monday, wearing a moon boot on his right foot as he spoke to reporters.
“It’s pretty sore, I must admit. I woke up very sore. Obviously played the second half in a bit of distress,” Gawn said.
“At this stage, I’m thinking that [I will miss], just because of how sore it is, but I’ve seen some stuff that the human body can do and it can certainly turn around pretty quickly.”
Football manager Alan Richardson said the club was relieved Gawn did not need surgery but admitted the All-Australian ruckman would be hard to replace.
“While Max is the calibre of player that can’t be replaced easily, it provides an exciting opportunity for others to come in and play their role in our side,” Richardson said.
Gawn has not missed since round six last season and carried the ruck burden after Melbourne cleared Brodie Grundy to Sydney at the end 2023.
They could turn to inexperienced ruckman Will Verrall, or try to use pinch hitters in the ruck such as Josh Schache, Tom Fullarton, Adam Tomlinson, Tom McDonald or key forward Jacob van Rooyen. Young forward Matthew Jefferson is pushing to make his debut.
West Coast were also left with injury concerns.
Star defender Jeremy McGovern was taken to hospital with suspected rib and lung damage following a final-quarter collision.
McGovern was discharged from hospital on Sunday night, but he remains in Melbourne with a club staff member.
West Coast say they will give an update on the extent of McGovern’s injuries when they have more details.
Skipper Oscar Allen, who kicked four goals, will be further assessed for an ankle injury.
With AAP
Lions fan loses membership over racial vilification
Andrew Stafford
The Brisbane Lions have cancelled the membership of a fan who racially vilified Adelaide player Izak Rankine on social media during the Lions’ win over the Crows on Sunday afternoon.
The Lions said in a statement that the member’s comments had been reported to the AFL’s integrity unit for further investigation.
In a statement, Adelaide said they strongly endorsed the ban, and that they were supporting Rankine, a Kokatha-Ngarrindjeri man from South Australia.
Izak Rankine was racially abused on social media.Credit: AFL Photos via Getty Images
“It is even more disappointing given it is NAIDOC week and a time at which we should be celebrating Indigenous culture rather than dealing with vilification,” the Crows’ statement read.
Crows chief executive Tim Silvers said that it was “infuriating” that such incidents continued to occur.
“There is no place for racism of any kind in society and it is extremely sad and disappointing that we find ourselves dealing with yet another abhorrent attack on one of our players,” he said.
“As an industry we have a collective responsibility to not only call out racism, but do everything we can to eradicate it, and we support Brisbane which has acted swiftly and decisively.
“It is also important we take the time to understand the hurt this behaviour causes Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people because unfortunately, despite how far we have come in this space, the message is still not getting through.”
The Lions have a number of Indigenous players on their list, including Charlie Cameron (Lardil-Waanyi, from the Gulf of Carpentaria region of Queensland and the Northern Territory), Keidean Coleman (Dalabon-Jawoyn, from eastern and southern Arnhem Land, NT) and Callum Ah Chee (Noongar, Nyikina and Yawaru; Ah Chee also has Dutch and Chinese heritage).
Ah Chee and Cameron have also been subjected to racist abuse, both from crowd members at games and online.
In 2021, the Lions submitted examples of online racist abuse targeting their players to a state parliamentary inquiry, saying their players were consistently exposed to hate speech and vilification.
In 2022, Ah Chee responded in an Instagram post, “How can this still keep happening[?]”
“Why can’t my brothers and I just continue to play the game we love without having to worry about shit like this[?],” he wrote.
“If my son grows up playing this game – I hope he doesn’t have to see this hate. It hurts and I’m sick to death of seeing it.”
Keep up to date with the best AFL coverage in the country. Sign up for the Real Footy newsletter.