Luke Lewis loves new life in the Shire at Cronulla Sharks Luke Lewis in pre-season training with the Sharks at Toyota Park. LUKE Lewis has achieved some mighty feats in his football career thus far. And it's little wonder. He now lives in the same street as former Test captain Ricky Ponting and is mobbed by well-wishers in public at regular intervals. "So far it's the best thing I've done in my life," he said. I've not missed a training session and I love all the boys down here. But more generally, I've really enjoyed the atmosphere in the area. So many people have come up to me in the street and said, 'Welcome to the Shire.' That's a real buzz and I can't talk the place up enough. The fact Lewis is in a better place comes as no surprise, given his sudden fall-out with Penrith last year. Although he's not keen to reflect on the pain of losing the Panthers captaincy last May, Lewis now feels he's been given a "new lease of life." Competing for a starting spot in the competition's strongest back-row is part of a formula - Lewis is now on his toes after a decade of being part of the furniture at Penrith. "It re-sparks that motivation," Lewis said. The biggest thing is that I don't want to let anyone here down - my coach, my teammates or the fans. I've got to prove myself again and earn the respect of my new teammates. Sharks skipper Paul Gallen was a major influence in getting Lewis to join Cronulla after rich offers from Wests Tigers and Parramatta. The 29-year-old is now looking forward to playing under Gallen, but refuses to look back upon the disappointment of losing Penrith's captaincy to Kevin Kingston. "It was a massive honour getting the captaincy, but obviously things happened there," Lewis said. I don't really want to talk about it. I'm over it. I don't want to think about what happened there. All I'm interested in now is the Sharks and doing my best for season 2013. Lewis also revealed that he spoke to former Penrith teammate Michael Jennings over the summer as the NSW Origin centre negotiated his exit to the Roosters. "I always check on Jenko to make sure he's going alright," Lewis said. I knew where he was at (with Penrith), but I didn't have a lot to do with it. I love him like a brother and I'll be watching him carefully (at the Roosters). I think his football will go through the roof. I'll be very interested in how he goes.