Nick Riewoldt voted Tassie's best for AFL era ahead of Richo (Advocate)

[one-eyed]

 

Nick Riewoldt voted Tassie's best for AFL era

Andrew Mathieson
The Advocate, Tasmania
25 May 2020

Former St Kilda champion Nick Riewoldt was voted in as Tasmania's greatest player of the AFL era, but the title was not without controversy.

The AFL Tasmania poll had Riewoldt the overwhelming winner over Richmond icon Matthew Richardson.

The six-time club best and fairest winner took out the popular vote in the final with 66 per cent from nearly 2000 followers who cast their vote.

The online contest pitted 32 of the state's stars since 1990 do battle in a head-to-head elimination knockout.

Despite beating Launceston's Tom Bellchambers in the round of 32, Sandy Bay's Darrin Pritchard next, Clarence cousin Jack Riewoldt in the quarters and Wynyard's Alastair Lynch in the semis before duelling with Richardson, the 336-gamer only spent half of his childhood in Hobart before the family relocated to the Gold Coast.

Riewoldt ended up playing all representative football for Queensland from junior club Broadbeach and a senior stint for Southport.

Critics of Riewoldt's right to be in contention remarked on AFL Tasmania's Facebook page, "imagine if Tassie's greatest footy player moved away when he was and didn't play here" and also that he "didn't even play hardly any footy here in Tas ... shouldn't even be in the poll".

AFL Tasmania declined to spell out the players' criteria for eligibility, other than a spokesperson adding that "it is a bit of fun online".

The retired star forward has always claimed to be a Tasmanian and also sat on the Tasmanian AFL advisory board last year, despite never playing for a club in the state.

Richardson averaging 2.82 goals per game to 2.13 goals and winning the club goalkicking 13 times to four had an edge in front of goals.

But Riewoldt had the Richmond superstar covered for five All-Australian selections compared to three, six club best and fairest awards to none and 10 seasons of captaincy to also none.

The biggest honours were the 2004 Leigh Matthews MVP award and winning the 2002 AFL Rising Star award.

Both Riewoldt and Richardson, who breezed past another Devonport product Grant Birchall, got the nod over two men who combined for seven AFL premierships.

Tasmania's greatest player had his closest match-up after sneaking past Lynch with 52 per cent of the 6200 votes.

https://www.theadvocate.com.au/story/6767810/riewoldt-voted-tassies-best-for-afl-era/

[mightytiges]

Biased I know but I wouldn't class Nick anymore as the best Riewoldt let alone the best Tasmanian even if he had played footy in Tassie as a youngster. Jack IMO has now gone past his cousin. While Nick had amazing endurance and courage plus strong hands, Jack is a far more reliable kick than Nick was especially at goal, a 3x Coleman medallist and a dual premiership player where he was in the top 5 players on the ground in both GFs. He also has two B&Fs ( not none  ) in a more talented dual premiership team containing two Brownlow medallists in Cotch and Dusty plus the likes of Rance (5x AA full-back to 2019), Edwards, Prestia, Grimes, Houli, Vlastuin, Lynch (from 2019), etc. Jack is one of the footy smartest players I've ever seen and for a tall forward is just as agile and damaging at ground level with the footy as he is as a traditional leading and marking forward. 

[Damo]

Nick is the best Riewoldt BY FAR

He was an out and out superstar

[Diocletian]

Jack's GF highlights - a big mark that got us up and running in 2017,  5 goals in 2019 

Nick's GF "highlight" - having a kick smothered by Heath Shaw on the goal line ...

[Tiger Khosh]

Nick is the best Riewoldt BY FAR

He was an out and out superstar

I mean fair enough if you rate nick more than jack but are you implying jack isn’t an out and out superstar? His accomplishments speak for them self and only buddy has kicked more goals than him since he debuted.

[lamington]

It’s a hard one. Nick was a crazy talent and was rightly pick#1. He had to carry the team for the most part. I suppose the blemish of his career is that he wasn’t always mentally strong and well that smother one GF replay made him go in his shell. Then there’s him being in a club which is regarded as having one of the worst cultures ever aka setting dwarf on fire, the schoolgirl incident and that awkward photo with nick dal santo

Jack on the other hand worked extremely hard to go with his footy smarts. He won his first Coleman when we were cellar dwellers and had to change his game numerous times to adapt to the dark years of Hardwick throwing him around the ground and making vickery the focal point. As rubbish aflx was I felt Riewoldt captaining the rampage and how he utilised his players epitomised how good of a footballer he is.

Overall I would say Jack is the better footballer but not by much. Nick I would say is the better power forward that plays chf/ff

[Andyy]

Nick the better athlete. Speed, endurance etc.

Jack the better footballer. Better kick, better team player/asset.

Both great marks and superstars.