MELBOURNE Football Club has secured the services of four-time premiership player Jordan Lewis in a trade reached with Hawthorn this morning.

In the deal, Melbourne will trade its third and fourth round selections (currently 48 and 66) in return for Hawthorn’s third and fourth selections (currently 57 and 68).

The 30-year-old and four-time premiership player joins the Club on a three-year contract.

General Manager of Football Josh Mahoney said Lewis brings leadership qualities and an elite AFL mindset to the Club.

“Jordan is a fierce competitor who is driven to win, and those are qualities that you can’t have enough of at our footy Club,” he said.

“Clearly he is an elite AFL player and his footballing resume speaks for itself, but we also see Jordan as a leader who can play a major role in the development and mentoring of our younger players both on and off the field.

“We know we are still a very young team. We are projecting to have half of our best 22 under the age of 23 next season and that’s why bringing in a player of Jordan’s experience and calibre was important to us.

“He understands where we are at as a Club. He knows we have a considerable amount of work to do before becoming a consistent finals team, but the example he will set for our younger players will be invaluable for us.”

Lewis paid tribute to Hawthorn and said the talent on Melbourne’s list drew him to joining the Club.

“I firstly want to start off by thanking the Hawthorn Football Club. I arrived there as an 18-year-old from Warrnambool and to leave the Club as a four-time premiership player is something I am very proud of,” he said.

“I am truly grateful for everything that Hawthorn has done for myself and my family and I will never forget the memories of what we achieved together as a Club. I want to thank every player, coach, staff member and supporter for everything they have done along the journey and I wish the Club the very best in the future.

“My decision to come to Melbourne started when Clarko and I caught up a couple of weeks ago for what was a really honest chat. We spoke about what my future could look like beyond my current contract and following that catch-up I sat down and looked at my options. I looked at every Club in the competition and after going through every list, Melbourne was the one that stood out – if I wasn’t going to be at Hawthorn. It was clear to me that I wanted to play for the Melbourne Football Club.

“I then met with Goody, Josh and Todd early last week and following that, it really solidified my thoughts about joining Melbourne.

“I believe in what the Club is building. There is some outstanding young talent at the Club and that is an area I can certainly play a role in – mentoring and developing those players both in an on-field and off-field sense.

“I’m really looking forward to this new challenge. We have a lot of work to do but from what I know, and from what I have seen firsthand, the players seem up for the fight and I can’t wait to get to work at the Club.

Lewis was selected with pick 7 in the 2004 National Draft and played 264 games for the Hawks. He was a member of the 2008 and 2012-14 premierships and sits 12th on Hawthorn’s all-time games record list.

In 2014, Lewis was All-Australian and won Hawthorn’s best and fairest award. He finished runner-up in 2016.

Lewis has averaged 22 matches per season since making his AFL debut in round three, 2005 against Essendon at the MCG. He has also averaged 23.76 disposals per match across his career.

He has received 69 Brownlow Medal votes throughout his career, including 34 in the past three seasons.

Lewis will officially be unveiled as a Melbourne player at press conference on Tuesday afternoon.