WHAT’S weirder about the idea of Lleyton Hewitt playing football for Port Adelaide?

The fact he’s a former world no.1 professional tennis player?

…or that he’s a die-hard, passionate Adelaide Crows supporter?

Either way, it almost happened, according to premiership Port Adelaide coach Mark Williams.

Yes, this is photoshopped. 


According to Choco, Hewitt approached him about joining Port Adelaide as a rookie player during the height of his tennis career.

After spending time at the club with then tennis coach Roger Rasheed (an avid Port Adelaide supporter), Williams said the young tennis star began seriously considering a change in sporting codes.

“Lleyton rang me prior to the rookie draft and, because of his love of football and the love for what his dad and his uncles had done,” he told SEN.

Williams was keen – and says it would’ve happened, had Rasheed not talked him out of it.

“I was prepared to put him on the rookie list…he loved the aspect of football and team and that was the thing he missed,"he said.  

“[But] I had Roger Rasheed ringing me saying, ‘you can’t do this!’”