Hawthorn free agent Mitch Lewis might not have hit his straps yet in 2026, but he seized the moment on Easter Monday to remind everyone of his talent.
The 27-year-old says he is more focused on putting together a consistent stretch of football – after two injury-interrupted years in 2024 and 2025 – than worrying about his next contract.
Lewis is aware he is yet to play more than 15 matches in a season over his 82-game career, which has so far yielded 137 goals.
But his body is feeling good after finishing off last season with an excellent preliminary final against the Cats, and the unrestricted free agent has made a solid, albeit unspectacular, start to his 2026 campaign.
“I would like to get my hands on the footy a bit more,” Lewis admitted. “I want two goals to be my benchmark each week. I know it’s not all about touches and goals, but I want to contribute to this side. It is a special forward line, and I want to be a part of it.”
Lewis says moving from the Hawks has never been a consideration, but he knows the pressure is on for spots inside the forward 50.
Sharing that space with veteran Jack Gunston and high-flier Mabior Chol, as well as buzzing small forwards, means Lewis is playing higher up the ground since he returned.
“I still don’t feel like I am hitting my straps just yet … I’ve missed a lot of footy, and when you come back into the side you sort of want it to happen straight away, but missing so much football, and then coming in, the team is so much different,” Lewis said.
It means a new contract is not yet on his mind as clubs continue to monitor the early season form of every free agent yet to sign on the dotted line.
“I am just trying to keep my spot in the side,” Lewis said. “Calsher [Dear] is hot on my heels, as is Aidan Schubert, who kicked five goals on the weekend, [as well as] Max Ramsden. Pressure is good. Performance pressure is always good, but I am trying to be consistent with my football.”
Dear, Ramsden and Gunston are also out of contract at the Hawks at the end of 2026.
Lewis sits alongside Gold Coast restricted free agent Ben King and Sydney’s unrestricted free agent Joel Amartey as key forwards with currency in the free agency market.
King is weighing up a two-year deal to continue his career with the Suns, kicking 19 goals already in 2026, while Amartey has established himself as a Swans regular with 11 goals in the first four matches.
Amartey is in no rush to sign, but the Swans and his management are in ongoing discussions.
Jed Walter also played his first AFL match for the season on Sunday as he begins the year unsigned beyond this season.
The former No.3 draft pick is also in no rush to sign until his place in the team becomes clearer. He missed opening round against Geelong through suspension before being overlooked for the next two matches.
Buttering up Zak
The Cats have declared their interest in Port Adelaide star Zak Butters but remain committed to ensuring his signature won’t compromise their capacity to reward their own players.
Butters is a restricted free agent, meaning Port Adelaide can match any offer presented to him if he decides to return to Victoria. Geelong CEO Steve Hocking admitted on radio that Butters is on their radar.
The Power have enough cap space to comfortably match whatever rival clubs offer, with the likes of Geelong wary of simultaneously offering huge contracts and giving up significant draft capital for free agents.
They traded in the past to secure restricted free agents Jeremy Cameron and Patrick Dangerfield, but both players accepted long-term deals under what they could have received in the open market.
The Cats have nine players on the free-agent list including Dangerfield, 300-gamer Mark Blicavs, handy forward Jack Martin, Irish stopper Mark O’Connor, and veteran Jake Kolodjashnij. Rhys Stanley, Jed Bews and George Stevens played in VFL on Saturday.
Gather around for draft bidding rule changes
The much-anticipated changes to draft rules are not expected to be officially announced until after Gather Round, with the CEOs at Carlton (Graham Wright) and Port Adelaide (Matthew Richardson) again having the opportunity to put forward a case for the new bidding requirements to be delayed as they look to secure Cody Walker and Dougie Cochrane respectively in this year’s draft.
However, pushing them back is unlikely, with clubs only able to use two draft selections when matching bids, and top-four teams requiring more points to match a bid than those clubs who finish lower on the ladder. The discount which previously applied is also set to be removed.
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