Sturt midfielder Tom Lewis suffers torn ACL in SANFL trial match and will miss 2019 season

Promising Sturt midfielder Tom Lewis has suffered a season-ending knee injury just months after being one of the AFL draft’s hard-luck stories but says he will not dwell on the negatives.

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Promising Sturt midfielder Tom Lewis has suffered a season-ending knee injury just months after being one of the AFL draft’s hard-luck stories.

The 19-year-old learnt on Tuesday he had torn his ACL in trial match against Central District on Saturday.

Lewis was rated as SA’s seventh-best prospect last year by Champion Data but was overlooked in November’s draft.

The tough on-baller will undergo surgery to repair the torn cartilage and spend the entire 2019 campaign on the sidelines.

Tom Lewis will miss season 2019 with a torn ACL. Picture: Tait Schmaal

“I got tackled and had my left leg planted, then I twisted with the tackle, trying to shrug it off, and felt a big pop in my knee,” Lewis says.

“It was pretty painful to begin with but didn’t want to believe I had done my ACL, so I tried to run it off.

“Then when I went to crumb from a contest it just locked up again and I knew I had to come off.

“I’m obviously pretty devastated but I can’t do much about it, that’s just part of playing the sport.

“You can dwell on the negatives but in the end you’ll just end up eating yourself up – that’s not going to achieve anything.”

Lewis, who averaged 9.3 contested possessions and 9.5 tackles a game during the national championships, had thrown himself into pre-season to respond to his draft snub.

Tom Lewis, coach Tony Bamford and Jez McLennan at Adelaide Airport after they beat Victoria to secure the state's first under-18 national title since 2014. Picture: AAP/Brenton Edwards

“It was probably the best pre-season I’ve had,” he says.

“I was feeling really fit and ready to attack the year.

“There’s too many stories of players that don’t get drafted and then give up and I didn’t want to be one of those.

“It was gutting (missing out at the draft) but I didn’t want to dwell on it too much.

“I guess I’ve grown up with a bit of a never-give-up mentality.

“While I’m in rehab I want to do as much as I can to help the boys.

“I’ve spoken to (football manager) Chris Trapp and (coach) Nathan Grima about what I can do and get a different perspective on the game as well.

“Hopefully it will help out my own game later on.”

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