Eighteen months ago, Lachlan Lewis was ready to give up on rugby league.
“I was on the phone to my cousins trying to get a job on an oil rig,” Lewis said.
“My confidence was zero. I was going to throw it in.”
That attitude was easy to understand.
Lewis’ league career had been ground down by bad luck. He had three knee reconstructions and one shoulder reconstruction in the previous five years.
They all happened while Lewis was in the Canberra Raiders system.
The Norths Devils junior who had played in the Queensland Schoolboys team with the likes of Tom Dearden, Xavier Coates, Tesi Niu and Jake Simpkin was done after his 2024 season with Redcliffe.
There was another teammate in that schools team – Manase Kaho who was winning a Hostplus Cup premiership with the Devils at the same time Lewis was hunting jobs on oil rigs.
Lewis loved his time at the Devils and would have gone back there in a heartbeat only “they were such a strong club that year and I just didn’t think it was an option for me”.
But good fortune finally went Lewis’ way.
His job hunting paused in late 2024 when his manager sent him a text message from Devils CEO Troy Rovelli wanting to speak with Lewis about a contract.
A few weeks later, Norths announced that 2021 premiership coach and Leeds Rhinos leader Rohan Smith was returning to the Devils.
Lewis was ready to go again, back to his junior club and with the chance to learn from Smith.
It’s been a positive move for a player who will step out for the Devils tomorrow – his 13th Cup game in the last two seasons – in the Round 2 clash with the Western Clydesdales in Toowoomba.
He showed his versatility last week. The edge forward came off the bench and played 67 minutes in the opening loss to Mackay Cutters after centre Jacob Gagan left the field.
“I really feel at home here and I’m really enjoying it,” Lewis, 25, said.
“I’m feeling confident but I don’t think I’ve had a game here yet when I’ve played as well as I can.”
Lewis has been named in the starting team at Toowoomba Sports Ground, where his father Howard will be watching.
Howard was a panel beater in Toowoomba when Lewis was born before the family moved to Bundaberg two years later.
Howard had played first grade in Roma alongside a young Darren Lockyer.
Lachlan remained in Bundaberg for over a decade until moving to Brisbane to complete Years 11 and 12 at Wavell High, teaming up with future NRL players Tom Gilbert and Ethan Bullemor at the Devils juniors.
Lewis will be one of two Devils juniors in action tomorrow. Utility forward Lauloto Salei also came through the junior system before making his Cup debut last season.
