Back Jack Garry Lyon
The Age
July 20, 2013 Jack Riewoldt is 24. He has played 127 games since his debut in 2007. He is the reigning Coleman medallist, having also won in 2010. In that year he won Richmond's Jack Dyer Medal, for the Tigers' best-and-fairest player and was selected in the All Australian team.
He has been Richmond's leading goalkicker for the past three years and will win it again this year. He is also a chance to win his third Coleman Medal, sitting in equal second, just four goals behind leaders Jarryd Roughead and Josh Kennedy.
It's a fair resume. And he is proving extremely durable, having not missed a game in the past four years. All of that is extremely good news for the army of Richmond supporters as they nervously stare down the possibility of competing in just their third finals series in 30 years. The bad news is, he is out of contract at the end of the year and, despite assurances that his desire is to remain a Tiger for the length of his career, and that ''good news was imminent'' on the re-signing front, the sought-after signature is yet to find its way on to the required piece of paper.
Not surprisingly, there is more than one rival club giving him something to think about. Seeking confirmation from those rival clubs that Riewoldt is on their wish list is a futile exercise. I don't blame them, but while they rightfully distance themselves from any accusation of approaching a player directly and distracting them as they fulfil their obligations to their current clubs, make no mistake that phone calls between courting clubs and player managers are regular, direct, forthright and as unambiguously enticing as they can make them.
What happens after that is a matter for the manager and the player. In some instances, the manager will have been given instruction by the player that, under no circumstances, does he want to hear about any such offers until he has finished playing out the year.
Other players will be very hands-on in the process, wanting full disclosure at all times. That makes it a little tricky when it comes to answering direct questions from the media about other club involvement, but do we really take much notice of players, chief executives, list managers or player managers when it comes to these things? As someone who occasionally asks those questions, it's more out of obligation than any expectation you'll get a straight answer. It's just a little game everyone plays until a contract is signed. With the old club or the new.
I don't know which approach Riewoldt takes to these things. But the fact is, he is a hot commodity in the football market. He may very well be on the cusp of recommitting to the Tigers, and I hope that is the case.
Full-forward, until recently, was one of only two set positions left on the playing field. It has now gone the way of the wingman, the centreman, the rover and the half-back flanker. The only true, specific role left in the game is the ruck. And if any more Mark Blicavses come along, that, too, may just get swallowed up and become known as ''mobile big man''.
Like Lance ''Buddy'' Franklin, at Hawthorn, Riewoldt spends as much time further up the ground as he does playing out of the goal square. James Podsiadly even wanders down to the back half for periods of a game, and Chris Mayne spends so much time chasing, harassing and tackling, that he could end up anywhere on the field.
So, to the question regarding Jack, given that his role has changed and he is no longer a ''pure'' full-forward: is he of as much value to the Tigers as when he kicked 78 goals three years ago as that full-forward?
And the answer coming out of Richmond seems to be a resounding ''yes''.
Damien Hardwick has been quoted as saying this has been Riewoldt's most successful season. And, at the end of the day, Hardwick's opinion is the only one that matters. Sharing the scoring load has been a priority for the Tigers for some time, lessening the reliance on Riewoldt to kick a bag for them to enjoy some success.
But when it comes to upping the ante in the contract stakes they may choose to point to his ninth-place finish in the best and fairest last year, behind Shane Edwards and first-year player Steven Morris.
His critics will point out that, of his 43 goals this year, just nine have come against the four teams that they have played in the top seven of the competition. They refer to his tendency to demonstrably allow his frustrations to spill over on occasions, with no one spared, opponents, umpires or teammates.
The Tigers play Fremantle on Sunday. The last time they played he was labelled a ''prima donna'' by former Carlton premiership player Mark Maclure, who went on to liken him to Brendan Fevola, in terms of his lack of work ethic and failure to conform.
I've had reason to criticise Riewoldt for some of his on-field remonstration, but I thought the criticism was harsh. He will not have to confront his nemesis, Luke McPharlin this time around, and the game, in front of a big Richmond crowd, provides the opportunity for some degree of redemption after the Tigers' one-point loss earlier in the year.
It is critically important that the Tigers hang on to Riewoldt. And deep down, I don't think he wants to be anywhere other than Punt Road. While negotiations continue, there will always be an element of uncertainty, but Richmond has an extremely valuable and relatively rare commodity.
His occasional petulance is more than compensated by his boundless enthusiasm, popularity among teammates and willingness to embrace and sell the virtues of a club that has not always had a great story to sell.
He is a favourite of the marauding Tiger army and, like Buddy with the Hawks, it is a massive consideration that has to be taken into account at the negotiating table.
The bottom line is, he can really play. And kick goals. And he doesn't get into trouble off the field. And he has a self-awareness that will ensure his emotions will, for most of the time, be channelled towards what is best for his football side.
Jack Riewoldt has his best football ahead of him. Considering his achievements, that's saying something. It has to be in a Richmond jumper.
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