Jack Riewoldt on SEN Breakfast (16/08/2018)
AUDIO:
https://player.whooshkaa.com/episode/?id=264724 ----------------------------------------------------------------------
Riewoldt outlines secrets to Richmond successBy Andrew Slevison
SEN
16 Aug 2018Jack Riewoldt has attempted to describe the secrets behind the recent success of the Richmond Football Club.
The Tigers broke a 37-year premiership drought last year, much to the delight of the hordes of supporters who had been tortured for more than three decades prior.
Much has been said and written about the luxury of having Richmond’s ‘big four’ of Trent Cotchin, Dustin Martin, Alex Rance and Riewoldt play constantly due to the luck of avoiding injury.
However, the star Tigers forward says it runs a little bit deeper than that, highlighting the foundation laid by Richmond’s relentless defence over the past few years.
“It’s that continuity,” Riewoldt said on SEN Breakfast.
“I look at our backline as probably our real strength of our team.
“The connection that they have as a group, it’s not like a puzzle where you just grab the pieces and you get it right.
“You’ve got to actually do it over time. (David) Astbury, Rance and (Dylan) Grimes are our three mainstays down there. They would have played nearly 80 games of football together.
“The good sides have those years of doing their craft together and we’ve added players as we’ve gone along.
“Certainly, that nucleus there have played a lot of football together, so it creates strength.
“For us it’s about repetition, repetition. The season is long and there are injuries and there is times in the middle of winter where it can become a bit of a grind but that’s the beauty of an AFL season.
“There is no perfect way to do it. There is different ways to go about playing the game, there’s different strategies and you might want to rest players and play young players for the backend of the season.
“There’s something about our game, that late in the season and late in games, there is that war of attrition.”
Riewoldt, who has played in losing Tiger teams throughout his 245-game career, was asked what sort of advice he would give to struggling clubs in order to give them confidence of turning things around.
“I don’t think it’s anything on-field for clubs that are struggling,” he added.
“I think it is about finding your authentic self. Authentic Richmond is going to be different to any other side in the AFL, so it’s about stripping it back.
“Having some conversations and just general chats.
“People might have conversations with the cleaner or with the CEO and they get the general landscape.
“If I was going into a club, whether it be a football club or another sporting organisation, that’s where I’d start.
“I’d get those conversations going and find out what makes that club tick, what they want to be known as and what they are proud of.
“For us, we had those conversations as a group and as a club.”
The top-of-the-table Tigers will look to extend their MCG winning record to 20 straight matches when they take on Essendon on Friday night.
https://www.sen.com.au/news/2018/08/16/riewoldt-outlines-secrets-to-richmond-success/
