Is it time for Jack Riewoldt to follow the Richo model?Wayne Carey
The Age
April 7, 2022 — 3.33pmAfter a meeting with Terry Wallace in early 2008, Matthew Richardson thought his career was just about over. Wallace, then the coach of Richmond, told “Richo” he wanted him to play on a wing to help fast-track the development of a young forward who was showing a bit of promise.
That young forward was Jack Riewoldt.
Richo has said previously he wasn’t all that thrilled with the idea initially, but the alternative was being banished to Coburg.
Remarkably, by the end of that season, Richo had his third All-Australian jumper and almost won the Brownlow Medal. He was the overwhelming sentimental favourite on a rowdy Brownlow night, and only finished two votes behind winner Adam Cooney.
Richo’s incredible athleticism meant he could roam up and down the wing, with enough in the tank to push forward and still kick goals. Now with the Tigers at a new crossroads, could Damien Hardwick go to the same playbook?
In round one, Richmond looked top heavy against the Blues, playing Noah Balta up forward alongside Riewoldt and Tom Lynch, as well as ruckmen Toby Nankervis and Ivan Soldo. It’s an intriguing evolution considering Riewoldt played as the lone tall forward in that 2017 premiership year.
Back then he had the pressure of Dan Butler, Jason Castagna and Daniel Rioli at his feet – and more recently Jack Higgins also played that role. But now Higgins and Butler are gone and Rioli is playing back. Clearly having the three talls contributed to that un-Richmond-like stat of one forward-50 tackle for the entire game against Carlton.
Since then, Riewoldt hasn’t played due to a thumb injury, ensuring Balta has stayed forward and in the short time he’s played there he’s shown he’s worth persisting with. He’s what I’d describe as an old-fashioned centre half-forward. He’ll fly at anything, has a competitiveness to bring the ball to ground and is a good kick. While Balta still needs to work on his forward craft and work out other ways to win the footy, the potential is there and his coach can obviously see it.
But with Riewoldt’s return this weekend, Hardwick’s call to play the three talls in the same forward line this week against the Dogs, as he indicated he would at his press conference on Thursday, is an interesting one. West Coast is about the only team to buck the trend and make it work in recent years. There’s an element of robbing Peter to pay Paul with what you get in terms of marking power, versus losing that trademark pressure.
So how sustainable is that three-pronged attack? The Balta question is probably answered by where the Tigers think they’re at.
By recruiting Robbie Tarrant from North Melbourne, they clearly believed they were still in a premiership window. But at the same time, by heading to the draft as they did, there was also an awareness this will soon be a team in transition, or at the very least one needing regeneration.
It’s probably difficult to say whether the dynasty is over just yet, because there are so many key cogs missing from the Tiger machine. When Alex Rance went down, some questioned whether that was the end, but Dylan Grimes quickly became one of Hardwick’s most important players. He could and still can lock down and intercept.
Last week against the Saints we saw how much his absence is felt, when Max King booted a match-winning four goals after Grimes went off injured. When you add the retirement of David Astbury, who was a solid citizen, and injury to Nick Vlastuin, the Tigers really have been decimated.
Clearly Dustin Martin is another one of those cogs. Players of “Dusty’s” ilk are impossible to replace. But, right now, the Tigers’ problems run much deeper than lacking a few defenders or Dusty. Their entire team defence is breaking down.
Almost as important as Martin, in my eyes, has been the loss of Kane Lambert, who is out indefinitely with a hip injury. Lambert has been a selfless, two-way runner who has allowed guys like Dusty or Shai Bolton to focus on the attacking side of their game. Martin and Bolton can take a game away from you, but pressure is not necessarily their strength and that’s where Lambert played his role to perfection.
Without those cogs, judging the three talls is more difficult.
We’ve only had one game to see whether Riewoldt, Balta and Lynch can work together. If it doesn’t work again on Saturday night, Hardwick has a few options.
As long as Riewoldt is fit, is Balta made to bide his time continuing to play as a swing man or as a second ruckman? Or, as I’ve mentioned, if Balta is the future, can Jack play further up the ground?
In the past five years or so, we’ve seen Jack’s willingness to put the team first by transforming his game from simply kicking goals to providing for those around him. He might not have Richo’s running power, but he’s got more than enough footy smarts and experience to cope with another new role.
Already there’s been one Riewoldt who followed the Richo model – Jack’s cousin Nick finished his career in similar fashion on a wing. Is it now time for another?
https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/is-it-time-for-jack-riewoldt-to-follow-the-richo-model-20220407-p5abpb.html
