HAWTHORN Vice-Captain Jordan Lewis reveals he never entertained the thought of leaving the Club despite being eligible for Free Agency at the end of this season.

Lewis has signed a contract extension that will see him remain in the brown and gold until the end of the 2015 season.

A well respected figure amongst the playing group, the tough midfielder is excited to have his new deal signed, sealed and delivered before Round 1.

He says signing the contract extension early now allows him to knuckle down and focus on his football.

“I’m pretty excited, it’s nice to know you’re wanted by the Club in a sense and now it’s something I don’t have to worry about for a couple of years,” he told hawthornfc.com.au

“Now I can just go out there and play football.”

Lewis would have been eligible to test the waters of Free Agency at the end of this season, but revealed the thought never entered his mind.

When the youngster from Warrnambool and Geelong U18s first entered the doors at Hawthorn, he didn’t realise the history that came with donning the brown and gold stripes of the Hawks.

It is for that reason, and the great friends he has made along the way that the 26 year old never entertained playing at another club in 2014.

“That (Free Agency) didn’t come into my thinking, I’ve got a lot of good mates at this club and I’m really excited to stay around,” he said.

“Hawthorn gave me a start back when I was 18, and when you’re involved in the club you don’t realise from the outside looking in how rich the history is.

“We’ve got a 60-70,000 member base and at times you think about that but the day-to-day stuff, you’ve got mates here that you’ve been mates with for 10 years and they’ll be mates for the rest of your life.

“It’s a proud thing and a good thing that I’ll be staying and being around those guys and hopefully we can achieve some success together.”

Lewis says the closeness of the playing group makes the Club an enjoyable place to be and the camaraderie they share is reflected on game day.

He reveals each and every player has trust in one another because of the strong culture instilled in the four walls of the Ricoh Centre.

“It’s so important (to be close), that really comes out on game day when it’s really close and you want to develop that trust you have with your teammates to know they’re going to do the right thing in the right situation,” he said.

“You really do develop those things around the club, in the locker room, around training and in the gym and all that trust those relationships and understanding you build is put into place on game day.”

Despite being vice-captain and a member of the 2008 premiership side, Lewis remains grounded and modest about his standing amongst the playing group.

He admits he feels the pressure as much as any player on the list to perform and play to his strengths.

His biggest strength, he says is his ferocious and unwavering attack on the man and the ball – a talent, a skill that many believe can’t be taught.

“I don’t have blistering pace like Cyril Rioli, I don’t have height like Roughie or Buddy so I really try to play to my strengths and my attack on the ball is probably my strength,” he said.

“If I lost my way a bit and lost that attack and ferocity I’d probably find myself out of the side so I’ve always got to make sure that’s on and I’m playing to my strength.”