Australian Football

Dale Lewis was a capable all round football who sometimes produced bursts of rare brilliance but was equally prone to bouts of apparent disinterest. Sydney drafted him from North Ballarat and he made the first of an eventual 182 AFL appearances in 1990. Able to play in most positions on the field he was in some ways a coach's godsend. Early in his career the Swans were perennial strugglers but Lewis could say with some justification that he was one of the key catalysts behind the club's gradual improvement, which culminated in a grand final meeting with North Melbourne in 1996. The Swans unfortunately lost on that occasion but Dale Lewis performed well, racking up 19 possessions and taking 8 marks. Irrespective of the result, the dire days of the early 1990s had been consigned to history.

After retiring as a player Lewis undertook a wide range of media work and spent the 2005 season coaching Norwood to sixth place in the SANFL.

Author - John Devaney