Inside the mind of England and Hull KR half-back – and new Man of Steel – Mikey Lewis.
IT’S been some year for Mikey Lewis – and it might not be done yet.
The half-back has led Hull KR to their best Super League finish and their first Grand Final, and on a personal level won the coveted Man of Steel award as the competition’s best player.
What’s next for the supremely talented 23-year-old? Before going again with the high-flying Robins, Lewis is back on England duty, having been named in Shaun Wane’s squad for a two-match home series against Samoa.
Lewis’ place in the team is far from assured, with captain George Williams and Wigan’s Harry Smith likely to be the top pick in the halves, but his form – not to mention his performances when standing in for Williams in the first two matches of last year’s series with Tonga – have given the England coach plenty to consider.
It’s been a whirlwind twelve months since Lewis made his emotional international bow, but the journey to reach this point was not easy and provides important context into the player he is now.
Lewis was initially rejected by what was then the new City of Hull Academy as a teenager, seemingly leaving his dream of becoming a rugby league player in tatters. He trained harder, ate better, lost weight and earned his place.
Hull KR gave him a professional deal at 17 and he made his first-team debut weeks after turning 18, but he hadn’t made it yet. Again he had to work on himself, his approach and his maturity, from experienced players and from loan spells at Newcastle and York.
“There’s been a lot of bumps on the journey over the last few years but it’s all about growth,” says Lewis. “I wouldn’t change it. It’s the journey I’ve been on.”
It has instilled a resilience, for certain, but also a desire for self-improvement that has made his brilliant form now possible.
Lewis says: “You’re not going to play the perfect game every week, even though you go out and think ‘I want to do this, I want to do that’. Sometimes the game doesn’t go like that. You’ve got to take the highs with the lows, and the lows with the highs.
“Sometimes you are disappointed with your performance but it’s how you deal with it and not let it get to you. You watch it back on video and put things into practice to make sure you’re better than the week before.”
More broadly, his Man of Steel season has come while growing into a completely new role in the team. Lewis has managed to add kicking responsibilities – never previously a part of his play – and lead Hull KR around the pitch while still effectively doing what he always did best, taking on defences.
“It’s just maturing as a player. I’ve been a lot more focused on the things I needed to work at,” says Lewis.
“The kicking part, it was my responsibility to take over that and do the best I could this year. I’ve invested in myself on and off the field.
“I was fortunate that the club sorted out a kicking coach (former Premiership fly-half Joe Ford) and I learned off them and put it into practice on the field. It’s been building nicely and the stuff I’ve done away from the field has helped as well.
“Leadership is not given (to me). Some players are gifted with it and some players aren’t. I feel like I’ve had to learn leadership, but it’s going well.”
Has Lewis surprised himself with how he’s grown into those roles? “I think so. From my last couple of years to where I am now, I’ve grown so much as a player.
“Being around certain players and leaders, like Lachlan Coote, Shaun Kenny-Dowall and Kane Linnett, you always learn, and naturally you grow up. That’s what I had to do very quickly.
“You have to invest more in yourself off the field. As a young lad being in the spotlight, it can end two ways. I’ve been fortunate enough to have the right people around me to guide me and put me in the right place.”
While Lewis says he has matured immeasurably, he still appears much the same on the field in other ways. He still plays to the crowd – “They give it to me, so it’s just a bit of fun, isn’t it? Everyone is different in rugby league but if you’re that type of character, why not?” – and most crucially he still looks like a boy out there having a good time.
“I’ve always wanted to have fun. It’s not forced or anything,” he explains. “You’re playing rugby. Why can’t you have fun?
“It doesn’t matter what level you’re playing – amateur, semi-pro, professional – you go out there and have fun. I’ve always gone out there to have fun.
“I just go out and play the game and be me. That’s it, to be the best version of me. To let my performances speak for themselves. There’s no point being someone else. I always remind myself just to be me on that field and that’s what I do.
“I’m never going to change the player that I am. There’s always a boundary you can’t cross and sometimes in the last few years I’ve crossed that boundary, and then you’re not just affecting yourself, you’re affecting the team. But I’ll never change how I play. I’m competitive.”
This is the year when he appears to have struck the perfect balance, and in doing so become a world-class player.
First published in Rugby League World magazine, Issue 502 (November 2024)
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