Jordan Lewis soaks up the atmosphere of yesterday’s grand final parade. Picture: THE AGE
THE experience of watching his son help Hawthorn to the 2008 premiership hasn’t made Shane Lewis’ AFL grand final week any easier.
The father of hard-nosed onballer Jordan Lewis has been the same nervous wreck he was five years ago, when the Hawks upstaged Geelong.
“They started about Monday,” he said of the nerves which have dominated his mind ahead of today’s MCG blockbuster.
“I thought I was going to be good but I’m getting worse.”
Lewis and his wife Judy will be among the sets of Hawthorn parents in the stands of the famous ground for the Hawthorn-Sydney showdown.
The pair, along with daughters Monique and Chelsea, will ride every bump their son does hoping the Hawks can prevail.
“It’s pretty exciting times again. I never got nervous until I thought ‘geez, here it goes again’,” Shane said.
“We never expected to win in 2008 and all year Hawthorn has been the one.
“But then they had to play Adelaide (in the preliminary final, which it won by five points).
“It was probably better that way than to win by 80 points.”
The Lewis family has shared the highs and lows of football with 26-year-old Jordan.
The family was there when he tasted premiership success in 2008, as Hawthorn broke a 17-year flag drought.
And they feared for his wellbeing after a heavy knock when running back with the flight of the ball in 2010 knocked him unconscious. “The game was delayed and Chelsea rang up and was crying ‘Jordan’s been knocked out’,” Shane said. “By the time he came on TV she said he’s back on the ground.
“He was still a bit dazed for a few weeks. But that’s football.”
Joining the Lewis clan at the MCG will be Colac’s Bryson Hodge, the father of Hawthorn captain Luke Hodge.
Grand final week has been more dramatic for that family, with Luke missing last weekend’s preliminary final with an untimely bout of gastro.
Luke, 28, recovered, forcing Hawthorn to drop Tom Murphy, and hopes he can replicate his Norm Smith Medal-winning perforamance of 2008.
“Last week with the gastro, that went right through him,” Bryson said.
“I was ringing him every day to see how he was going.
“By Monday he was a hell of a lot better and he had a light run Tuesday. There was no way you’d stop him two weeks in a row.”
Bryson said his son was confident he would be injury-free for finals, after a knee complaint kept him out of action for 12 weeks of the season.
“We put it to him to wait until it’s 100 per cent right. The time he had off to fully get over those nagging injuries, it’s been really good,” he said.
“When he came back and slotted five goals, that did his confidence so much.”
Luke’s mum Leanne and siblings Bianca and Dylan will also be at the MCG today.
