Riewoldt: so much has been written about him already ITT but more is always needed to pay tribute for his commitment to the team. He is not only a goal and mark machine, with the athleticism of a mid fielder and sheer power of one of the games top forwards. He is the best bloody leader you could hope for, every time he is in the huddle, he is speaking with such intensity it's inspiring. When the telecast gets what he is saying he is communicating a nuanced understanding of the game, I cant help but look forward to his coaching career (hopefully with the saints). When we score and win the reaction from him is visceral. He typifies what being a true believer saint is all about. Last night there was a shot of roo and his marker both doubled up with exhaustion early in the second qtr IIRC, but honey badger Roo is off sprinting the rest of the game. Every time he contests and gets knocked from his feet, he seems to recover in the space of a couple seconds, and recommit to the contest. The opposition know how powerful he is, they doubled manned him most set kicks, yet he still knows how to work them off, to free his teammates or get the ball over them. For such a flagship player he is never selfish with it, always using teammates when they are they are better positioned,but also willing to take the big and hard goals on.
In short I love him, it would've been so easy for him to do his apprenticeship with st kilda and then head off to Geelong/hawks/big money, constant wins and top level supporting players, but he didnt. He is here fighting for us.
what an excellent post... Post of the year contender right there!