‘Interesting time’: Tigers champ Jack Riewoldt still weighing up future as left-field option floatedBen Cotton
Fox Sports
July 26th, 2023Richmond champion Jack Riewoldt says he’s still unsure on what his AFL future holds with five rounds remaining in the home and away season, but concedes “I can’t do things that I used to be able to do.”
The three-time premiership Tiger, who turns 35 in October, is out of contract at season’s end and is weighing up retirement or extending his decorated career into an 18th season.
It comes amid a transition period at Punt Road after the club’s golden era, with long-time coach Damien Hardwick resigning mid-season, CEO Brendon Gale’s future believed to be uncertain and triple-premiership skipper Trent Cotchin also considering hanging up the boots.
Speaking on Fox Footy’s AFL 360 on Tuesday night, Riewoldt admitted star forward Tom Lynch missing most of the season through injury has changed his workload and original plans for 2023, also revealing he’s played through niggles.
“I’m still undecided about what it looks like. I think the big thing for me is not having ‘Lynchy’ there has probably changed a little bit of what the workload was going to look like for me,” the 343-gamer said.
“It probably means I’ve been playing on the best defender every week, which I was pencilling in maybe him taking the best defender every week. I can’t do things that I used to be able to do. I’ve been battling along for a little bit with a few niggles here and there probably for the last sort of three months.
“Probably just out of necessity really I’ve been playing every game. Ideally — and I had the conversation at the end of last year with Dimma (Hardwick) — I’d probably be a month on, one week off and Trent (Cothcin) was probably a little bit in the same position.
“I really love the weekend, going in to play footy, travelling into the MCG or travelling wherever, I’ve really enjoyed travelling interstate this year and soaking that up as well.
“There’s a few things that I’ll probably toss up over the next month, I think Trent will probably be in the same boat. It’s an interesting time.”
The Tigers’ season remains very much alive, having gone 6-2 under caretaker coach Andrew McQualter, who’s the favourite to retain the role on a full-time basis in 2024, to sit 10th on the ladder.
With Lynch sidelined, Riewoldt is on track to lead Richmond’s goalkicking for a 12th time in his career, currently with 26 goals from 17 games.
Asked who’ll ultimately make the decision on his future, the three-time Coleman medallist said “there’s a few factors,” but suggested the call was largely in the club’s hands, also floating the possibility of playing half the 2024 season.
“Have you got a ready replacement to come in or are you stopping someone else playing in the team?,” Riewoldt said.
“Clearly another issue for us is that we thought Lynchy would be back playing by now and he’s had a few setbacks there. Where does he sit going into the next season?
“There’s the possibility you could just play half a year to sort of be a stopgap for a point in time. In terms of players being able to go out on their own accord, I think the club has to still have the final call.
“Players go out there and play sometimes when they’re not fully fit, when they shouldn’t be playing, but they just love the absolute battle of it all. No one’s ever bigger than the club.”
Riewoldt admitted he was “a little bit daunted” about the thought of life outside of footy, having been at Richmond since he was 18 years old.
“I’ve played senior footy for 17 years now at Richmond. I’ve held one other job, which was working at Sportsco at Eastlands in Hobart, folding t-shirts,” he said.
“My day is revolved around driving up and down Punt Road and everything is scheduled in that.
“I think there’s a life of an AFL footballer — especially when you’ve been around for over a decade — that you become a bit institutionalised to it.
“So maybe there is a little bit of daunting thoughts about that post the end of your career, but there’s also things you get to go and do you can’t do now while you’re an AFL player.”
Should he call time on his career, Riewoldt is eyeing off the Tigers’ Round 23 clash against North Melbourne at the MCG as his farewell match.
“I’ve looked at it. We play North Round 23, if I was to finish up this year, that would be a game I would probably look at,” he said.
The three-time All-Australian added with a laugh: “I don’t know whether I want to go all the way to Port Adelaide (in Round 24), if this year is my last year, and play my last game of footy.
“But there’s so many factors, we’re right in the hunt of finals again. You might not get a choice where you finish up.”
https://www.foxsports.com.au/afl/teams/richmond-tigers/afl-2023-jack-riewoldt-future-weighing-up-retirement-richmond-tigers-playing-half-the-2024-season-afl-360-latest-news/news-story/4c932b86f273308562b675c3cac5575d
