Bulldogs’ shining light emerges from the shadows to take up prized position

AT the time, work ethic and extra training wasn’t an excuse that could save Lachlan Lewis.

Not when 1000 watts from the Belmore Sport Ground flood lights are pouring into the kitchens, bedrooms and front yards of the surrounding homes.

“Lachlan has got a work- ethic second to none,’’ Lewis’ father Scott, told the Sunday Territorian. How so? “For example, the extras he does at training,’’ Scott said.

“Last year he was given a huge spray by Canterbury because he was out kicking a couple of hours after everyone had gone home from training and he forgot to turn the lights off at Belmore stadium.

“All the houses around Belmore had complained to the club that the lights were still on at 2am in the morning.’’

Lewis is the 21-year-old five-eighth and nephew of Immortal Wally Lewis, who has emerged this season as the Bulldogs’ shining light, in more ways than one.

His arrival – seemingly from the shadows of Bulldogs first-choice halves Kieran Foran, Moses Mbye, Matt Frawley and Nu Brown, to face St George Illawarra in his eighth first-grade game at Kogarah Oval this afternoon has come as a surprise to some.

Yet not to those who know Lewis’ story.

His talent was identified as a junior with the Capalaba Warriors – southeast of Brisbane – by the Canberra Raiders at the age of 12. The Raiders former head of recruitment Brian Edwards, selected Lewis to be part of Canberra’s development squad.

From the age of 12 to 16, Lewis would dissect his season with the Warriors and later Souths Logan with training camps organised by the Raiders. The program developed a healthy list of NRL talent.

However, if it wasn’t the Raiders, Lewis would still have left Brisbane to fulfil his NRL dream.

Greater opportunity and a desire to avoid the obvious pressure from comparisons made with his famous uncle were some of the reasons.