Sturt midfielder Tom Lewis takes 33 Votes from 13 games in remarkable Magarey Medal triumph
Sturt powerhouse midfielder Tom Lewis has capped off a remarkable season by claiming the SANFL's highest individual honour.
Tough Sturt midfielder Tom Lewis has capped off a dream comeback from a serious injury by winning this year’s Magarey Medal as the SANFL’s fairest and most brilliant player.
Three years after rupturing his spleen in a Mother’s Day clash against Central District and falling seriously ill, Lewis was on Monday night crowned the Double Blues’ 16th Magarey Medallist.
The popular 25-year-old dominated a one-sided count at Adelaide Oval, winning by a whopping 10 votes.
He polled 33 votes in 13 games, including eight first preferences (three votes), to finish well clear of runner-up Kobe Mutch from Woodville-West Torrens (23 votes), with Lewis’s Double Blues teammate and last year’s joint winner Will Snelling third on 21.
Snelling polled well for the second consecutive year, despite missing five games through injury.
Norwood’s Nik Rokahr was next with 18 votes, ahead of midfield teammate Billy Cootee and Glenelg’s Jarryd Lyons on 17.
Lewis entered the count as a white-hot favourite to win – he was the SANFL coaches’ unanimous selection – and the umpires agreed.
He was top-of-the-table Sturt’s best player in its spectacular 17-1 season, with the Blues’ only loss coming in the final round against Adelaide by only two points as they sought to become the first team since Port Adelaide in 1914 to go through a season undefeated.
Lewis took the medal lead after Round 13 following a three-vote performance against Port and then powered clear of the chasing pack.
Prior to the count, Lewis described his season as “my best by a country mile’’.
A proven Magarey votegetter, he averaged 26 disposals, eight tackles and seven clearances during his 18 minor round games, having 20 or more disposals in Sturt’s first 16 matches.
The umpires adjudged him best afield eight times (three votes), second best four times (two votes) and third best once (one vote).
“I feel that I’ve been able to progress as a player and get a lot more forward 50 entries and shots on goal, which I think has really elevated my game this season,’’ he said.
The Magarey Medal (Sturt’s 20th overall) is the crowning glory for Lewis, who nearly died three years ago following a horrific injury suffered against the Bulldogs.
He suffered a ruptured spleen at Unley Oval and courageously played out the game before bleeding internally, falling ill that night and seeking medical treatment the next day.
Lewis said things had become so serious that if he had waited much longer to see doctors he might have died.
“It sounds dramatic but that’s how serious things got,’’ he told The Advertiser at the time.
Instead, the on-ball warrior bravely returned to the playing arena just three months later.
Prior to the life-threatening injury, Lewis underwent a knee reconstruction in 2019 – only months after he was surprisingly overlooked at the AFL draft – after being injured in a practice match and missed the entire season.
Now he is a very worthy Magarey Medallist.
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