'Sore' Riewoldt quiet againBy Jennifer Witham
7:20 PM Sat 25 Jun, 2011RICHMOND coach Damien Hardwick has admitted last year's Coleman medallist Jack Riewoldt is playing sore but has backed his big forward to fight through.
The 22-year-old was well held by Melbourne defender James Frawley during Saturday's 27-point loss to the Demons at the MCG, which saw end a month of quiet performances.
Against Melbourne, Riewoldt kicked one goal, three behinds, had two goal assists and three inside 50s among his 13 possessions.
Before Saturday, he had kicked just seven goals in the Tigers' past three games; three against Port Adelaide, two against the Sydney Swans and two against the Brisbane Lions.
Hardwick conceded his star was hurting but backed him to play through it.
"Yeah … he takes to the field so he's OK," he said, when asked if Riewoldt was playing hurt.
"He's battling like most players in the AFL at the moment, they're all battling injury and Jack's no different.
"He can still play; he's just tired and sore like the other guys. He just has to battle on."
Hardwick was reluctant to elaborate on Riewoldt's soreness and simply conceded that it was consistent with the majority of AFL players at the round 14 mark.
"Players play sore, it's a long [season] and I don't think there's a more demanding sport in the world than what we play," he said.
"You've just got to look and guys were out on their feet in the last quarter. We had guys coming off and we were trying to get blokes back on and it's a real tough game to play. We've just got to hang tough."
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