The hurt of losing a Grand Final is said to be like no other.

But former Hawthorn midfielder Jordan Lewis has explained how coach Alastair Clarkson was quick to put the loss to Sydney in the 2012 Grand Final into perspective.

Speaking on Fox Footy, Lewis spoke of how the four-time premiership coach was able to shift the mindset of his players in that moment.

"I remember after the game, having watched the Sydney players get their medals, we were in a pretty dark place," Lewis said. 

"(At that time) Jill Meagher had just passed away and Clarko brought that up straight away.

"He said, 'I understand how you're feeling, but imagine how her family is feeling right now'.

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Roughy and Lewis on how they dealt with losing a Grand Final

4x Premierships players with the Hawks, Jordan Lewis and Jarryd Roughead reflect on what it felt like to lose on the big stage.

 

 

 

 

 

"That was just a moment of 'wow, OK, it's just a game of footy' and someone has just lost someone in their lives and that put it into perspective straight away."

Jill Meagher was a 29-year-old Irish woman living in Australia who was murdered in Melbourne a week before the Grand Final. 

Alongside premiership teammate Jarryd Roughead,the 2014 Peter Crimmins Medallist went on to say that, eight years on, the hurt of the loss to the Swans that day is certainly lessened by the success that ensued in the years following.

"You always think 'what if?', but I suppose, if we didn't win any post-2012, clearly it would hurt more."