In today’s AFL briefing, your daily wrap of footy news:
- Hawks consider senior return for Mitchell Lewis.
- Ross Lyon staying calm amid the Saints’ table-topping rise.
Hawks contemplate Lewis return
Andrew Wu
Hawthorn are strongly considering rushing Mitch Lewis straight into the senior side this week to bolster the Hawks’ flagging forward line.
Lewis has not played at any level this season after spraining his anterior cruciate ligament in late January, an injury that was expected to sideline him for the first month of the season.
The Hawks had been looking at a return in round four or five, but that was pushed back due to an issue with his other knee.
Mitch Lewis is expected to play his first competitive game this week.Credit: Getty
A club source said the Hawks expect Lewis to play this weekend but are yet to decide whether to bring him back to take on the Western Bulldogs on Saturday at Marvel Stadium.
In Lewis’ absence, the Hawks have mainly fielded an undersized forward line without the traditional taller focal point.
Though short of match practice, Lewis has trained with the main group for a month to build on his conditioning, gradually increasing his exposure to contact.
Lewis would add firepower to a Hawks forward line that ranks last for points scored after the first six rounds.
A fifth-round selection in the 2016 draft, Lewis cemented himself as the Hawks’ No.1 key forward last year with 37 games in 15 games.
Prized youngster Will Day will come back after serving a two-match suspension. The 21-year-old had been one of the Hawks’ best players in the first month of the season.
‘Inching forward’: Lyon calm amid the Saints’ hype
AAP
While he doesn’t expect to go through the AFL season without another loss, St Kilda coach Ross Lyon sees no reason why they can’t maintain their table-topping status.
The Saints remained ladder leaders – ahead of Collingwood on percentage – after nailing their fifth win of the campaign with a victory over Carlton on Sunday.
Their only blip has been a one-goal loss to the Magpies in round five.
Last season they held the same win-loss record after six rounds, although sat fifth with four teams locked on 20 points trailing runaway leaders Melbourne.
Brad Crouch celebrates with Saints fans after the win over Carlton.Credit: AFL Photos
Ahead of Friday night’s clash with Port Adelaide at Marvel Stadium, gun-shy fans are wary of the Saints falling away like in 2022 when they dropped four games between rounds 12 and 15 to drop out of the eight for the remainder of the season.
Aware the “narrative” could quickly change on the back of some losses, Lyon said on Wednesday he could see the team continuing to improve.
“Our goals are really clear – every session give us as much as we can, concentrate and learn,” Lyon said when asked if expectations had changed given their early success.
“We’re just in a state of continuous improvement.
“You can’t play in finals until you’ve earnt the right, so we’re all just inching forward because if you look too far ahead, you sort of trip over, so we’re just going to stay in the moment.
“We believe in what we’re doing, but we understand there’s going to be challenges so we’ll just keep chipping away at it.”
Lyon said it was exciting to be able to add star players to the mix, with key forward Max King nearing a return from a shoulder reconstruction.
While no date has been set, the 22-year-old joined in the first three drills of the main session on Wednesday.
“He’s rehabbing really well, he trained incredibly on the weekend … he’s been basically up to 100 per cent speed over the last few weeks so that’s getting exciting,” Lyon said.
“Tim Membrey came back in and added a bit, and it’s great to be able to add players throughout the year – clearly Max King is a pretty important asset for us.”
Jack Billings is also in the selection mix after impressing in the VFL on Sunday in his first game back from a broken leg.
The clash against seventh-placed Port is St Kilda’s first on the big Friday night stage, but Lyon felt they could handle the pressure.
“I think we’ve handled a lot of pressure this year … there’s in-built expectations to perform in a high-performance environment.
“Port Adelaide are a really strong club, well-coached, so we expect a fierce battle.”
Keep up to date with the best AFL coverage in the country. Sign up for the Real Footy newsletter.
