Easy, Tiger CAROLINE WILSON
August 14, 2010JACK Riewoldt is a reluctant interviewee. Although words and opinions come as naturally to this emerging Tigers star as goals did in that break-out game against West Coast in June, he has been as keen in recent weeks to muzzle himself as Damien Hardwick was when he kicked his 10 against the Eagles.
Riewoldt is a smart 21-year-old who respects his own shortcomings as much as he respects football. He is concerned he will come across as a big head, an individualistic type among a team determined to reinvent itself and, in turn, the battered reputation of the Richmond Football Club.
And, of course, he hasn't been happy with his recent form. The goals have dried up of late after a sizzling 43-goal, eight-game mid-season haul, and while he still leads the Coleman Medal count, the tally has intensified into a two-horse race between the veteran Barry Hall and the young Tiger who has burst into the elite landscape in his fourth year at Richmond.
"The coach was probably trying to protect me," he said of Hardwick's self-described "rookie-coach error" in banning his full-forward from talking to AFL broadcasters after he became the first footballer in more than three years to kick double figures in a game. "Because I do have the ability to go on about myself at length."
Riewoldt, the oldest of three boys, jokes he would deal better with the goalkicking situation if his youngest brother Charlie, 17, back home in Hobart would get off his back about winning it.
"I'd love to win it," he said. "If you asked any player in the competition, they'd say the same. And I'm in a situation where I'm a chance. If it happens, it happens, but if not, it's not the end of the world. I would happily give up three goals a game for the next three weeks if we could end the season on nine wins."
Hardwick could see that the goals — or lack thereof — were playing mind games with Riewoldt, and last week the coach took him aside for a talk.
Hardwick said: "The Coleman is very much an individual award so I just asked Jack what he'd rather win: A Coleman or a best and fairest. He said a best and fairest, so I asked him where he thought he was going to get votes from the coaching staff, because it wasn't going to come from the goals.
"I just told him if he did the small things, the goals would come. I think perhaps he had settled into a bit of a comfort zone in the goal square, but I think last week he made some small steps towards those small things."
Hardwick also reminded Riewoldt that he was on track to win the Michael Roach Medal as Richmond's leading goalkicker — two more goals this season would see him become the highest goalkicker at the club since Matthew Richardson kicked 91 14 years ago.
Hardwick described Riewoldt as a "belter" whom he always rated but who has improved significantly this season. His former coach, Tasmanian VFL teammate and close friend Jade Rawlings, who worked closely with Riewoldt on his marking last season, paid tribute to the coaching group at Richmond for his progress this year.
"I always thought he'd be a fantastic second tall who was capable of 40 or 50 goals a year," said Rawlings, "but he has shown a lot more this year. What we worked on last year was all about a combination of timing and whether or not to neutralise the contest or place himself in the dominant position to take the mark.
"That's what he thrived on in junior footy and he was always a smart kid. I played with him when he made the Tassie VFL side, which was our affiliate then at North (Melbourne). He needed a whack on the head at times to knock him down a bit but he always bounced back and understood why he'd been whacked."
And yet Riewoldt needn't have worried about how he would come across in this, a rare in-depth interview, in which he combines charm, self-deprecation and enthusiasm — particularly self-deprecation.
Although the club has privately defended Riewoldt's emotional on-field behaviour in recent weeks, insisting that he is not performing dummy spits but simply attempting to direct traffic and adhere to the game plan, Riewoldt said the above was a generous assessment.
"I do wear my heart on my sleeve," he said, "and I do get frustrated, but I've got to take control of that because I look like a idiot when I do it. It's brought up in the media and it's shown again and again in team meetings.
"I do believe I have a good understanding of the game and the game plan but sometimes those things are better done in private than in public. Someone like Dustin Martin doesn't need me having a go at him during a game. That's not something he benefits from — not that he would ever complain about it."
Riewoldt described 2010 for both him and his club as one of steep learning curves and a season punctuated with ups and downs. The darkest hour for Richmond came after round three when the club had suffered its third straight loss under Hardwick, a thrashing at the hands of Sydney, and it emerged that a drunken Daniel Connors — Riewoldt's closest friend at the club — had run rampant through his Sydney hotel after a session with teammates Luke McGuane, Dean Polo and Ben Cousins.
Those who had been at Richmond for several years were not surprised that it was Riewoldt who took charge at several stages of a robust and confrontational team meeting on the Monday that followed. But chief executive Brendon Gale, a relative newcomer who was still learning about the playing group, was struck by Riewoldt's leadership.
"I've always been pretty vocal," said Riewoldt. "And I think the best clubs are teams that can coach themselves, but that was a big one for me.
"It's hard to confront a guy like Ben Cousins and challenge him. I mean he's Ben Cousins and he has this aura. And it was hard confronting my best mate and telling him: 'You've got a problem, mate, and you need to do something about it.' "
Connors and Riewoldt had driven home from Melbourne airport together after the Sydney debacle and the shattered Connors predicted to his friend that he would be delisted the following day. ''It hit him pretty hard,'' said Riewoldt, ''and it hit his family pretty hard too.''
Riewoldt, fearful of how his friend would cope with the news of his eight-week suspension, dined with Connors on the night of the decision and spoke with him every day for the next eight weeks. ''I'm absolutely rapt with the way he handled it and I couldn't be more proud of him. It's probably been a bit of a turning point for everyone.
''But the big factor is our captain (Chris Newman). He's the one who's made the difference. He's really leading us and if he's not a natural-born leader then he's worked hard to become one. If he's not alongside Kane Johnson then he's ahead of him and he's definitely become the best captain in the AFL, I believe.''
Riewoldt's toughest time personally was the scrutiny he received after Fox Sports aired half-time vision during its round-five telecast of the Richmond-Fremantle game. Commentator Brian Taylor said that Riewoldt was the only forward not listening to coach Danny Daly. The vision has aired several times and initially floored Riewoldt, who still appears mortified and mystified at how distracted he appeared.
''I had to apologise to Danny Daly, the forward-line coach, because it just looked so bad,'' offered Riewoldt. ''He said I had nothing to apologise for. He said he knew I was listening and I'm sure I was looking at an injured finger at the time.
''It was a non-issue where the club was concerned but I learned a lot about myself and dealing with things about how situations can portray you in a certain light.''
Although Riewoldt is talking to The Age not after a win but a loss, he insists it has been impossible not to love what is happening this year at his football club. ''You look at guys like Ben Griffiths, who hasn't played in a loss,'' he began before getting on a roll, ''and Robbie Hicks (another first-year player who kicked his first goal last week) and the form of guys like Shane Tuck and Trent (Cotchin), and 'Cuzzy' (Cousins) after a win, when he just goes crazy.
''We relied on 'Richo' and Kane (Johnson) and Nathan Brown and Joel (Bowden) to win us games for so long and to see guys like Brett Deledio and Dustin Martin do it now it's just an exciting prospect although it's hard to be patient sometimes.''
Of his own form he says only: ''I felt I was letting the club down with my marking because that was something I prided myself on in junior footy - taking pack marks. I've just worked really hard with the coaches and I've been lucky enough to take a few this year.''
But it is when talking about Hardwick that Riewoldt is at his most colourful. ''I know we're not winning many games but he has just made footy so exciting,'' said Riewoldt. ''I get pretty upset after a loss and then we'll go to a team meeting and the thing about Damien, he's just so positive.
''He'll say: 'Look boys, I know we lost and we're disappointed but look what we did wrong and how we could have beaten them. Just imagine the room for improvement.' He'll go through all the areas where we can work on and fix and he always has this sparkle in his eye.
''It's sort of like Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory and he's Willy Wonka and Richmond is the chocolate factory and we're the kids going through the factory. There's just that little bit of magic in the air.''
http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/easy-tiger-20100813-12388.html
