A moment on Nick Riewoldt

[ralphsmith]

Many people in life and in AFL have talents and gifts that can bring greatness. Many people dont use those gifts properly. They dont focus on them, they lose sight, lose vision (or never had it)!

Nick Riewoldt is one of those people blessed with gifts and squeezes every last drop of goodness from them. Corny to say it but it is heroic, supermanesque, the qualities you read about in comic books and great works of fiction.

He is the kind of bloke we look at and want to be like because he takes what he is good at and lights a roaring fire under it for all to see.

I wish i was better with words...yeah...

Legend, he is truly one.

[SemperFidelis]

[George27]

No need to apologise for those words, ralphsmith- beautifully written. Great post.

[samuraisaint]

Could he play 400 games?

[Tom_Sainter]

So many greats of the club have not lifted the cup. Nothing would make me happier than seeing this man do it, he is playing ageless football and perhaps is even in the best form of his career. Would be one of the greatest moments the game has seen if he can hang on and play in one.
The club is moving in the right direction, who knows dreams can come true

[asaint]

Yes, I just love the guy.

[BigMart]

It's not the best form of his career.... It the level he plays at...

Check his 02 numbers, 04 numbers, 09 numbers, 13 number, 16 numbers

Remarkable!!!!

Sneaking up on Sir Robert

[Munga]

His goal kicking in the last two seasons is the best of his long career. Champion.

[Legendary]

Riewoldt is underrated and under appreciated, even by St Kilda supporters.

He is having as good a year as any in his career.

He's taken 7 more marks than anyone else in the AFL after only 6 rounds, averaging nearly 11 per game.

The guy is a freak. He is going at 75% in front of goal (15 goals, 5 behinds).

[Milne]

Riewoldt is underrated and under appreciated, even by St Kilda supporters.
He is having as good a year as any in his career.

I think a lot of us have come to expect that he will work extremely hard each game and be in the top 3 players for us in almost every game he plays. When he has a blinder it doesn't stand out.

Because we have been down the bottom of the ladder for so long there's less neutral fans watching our games and therefore our better players tend to be underrated.

[bigred]

Freak.

Best we have ever had.

Loved how he dropped back late in the 3rd and just took a great contested just before the siren.

" nah, I'll just stop this one here boys". You could see he was just not going to let Melbourne get a cheapie.

[BigMart]

Superman

[saintbrat]

http://www.foxsports.com.au/afl/st-kild ... aec7f0254d

Alas, he is not winding back the clock as much as he is keeping it ticking forwards.

Nor should St Kilda be scolded because its best player is the ripe old age of 33.

Riewoldt is the Saints’ finest contributor not through any failing of his teammates, but because he has lost none of the attributes that made him so inspirational throughout the noughties.

Suggesting that St Kilda is in trouble because its most important soldier is on the wrong side of 30 diminishes the advancements made by a host of younger players since Alan Richardson took charge in November 2014.

[remboy]

Possibly the best athlete to have played the game. I can't think of any other KPP who has had Nick's running capacity. The word champion gets bandied around very loosely sometimes but Nick is a true champion. He's never had a bad season. Been one of the best players at the cub for most of his career and one of the best in the comp for a decent chunk of it as well.

[MC Gusto]

incredible. words cannot describe what he gives to our club week in week out

[BigMart]

Game 14 vs Essendon in 2002
18 possessions 12 Marks 3 Goals

Game 304 vs Melbourne in 2016
24 possessions 14 marks 3 Goals

And another 100 games like that
Some better
Some nearly as good
Some ridiculously good

Very few not good

A freak of consistency and longevity
It's what separates him from his contemporaries IMO

[The Fireman]

Athlete, Champion bloke, got the very best out of what he had.......Banger ?

[bigred]

His stats are obscene. If you were just reading numbers you might think he was the best to ever play.

Over the journey he is averaging nearly 9 marks per game, 12 kicks, 5 handballs and over 2 goals.

300+ game career with those numbers is exceptional. Would stand up against any player in the history of the game.

http://afltables.com/afl/stats/players/ ... woldt.html

Key point of interest is that he has played 17 finals, with an average of 10 marks, 12 kicks and 4 handballs and 2.4 goals.

I think that the only word that really describes his journey is elite..

[stevie]

Over the last 2 seasons, Nick moved from number 3 all time greatest Saint I have seen - past Banger - to number 2.

While Plugger is up there with the immortals of the game, Nick isn't far behind him. Certanily Roo is one of the best players of this century, easily.

[BigMart]

Nicks career is only equaled by Harves for consistency, longevity of elite output.

It could be argued this way

Best individual seasons in order for those players
Lockett 91
Harvey 98
Riewoldt 04
Lockett 87
Harvey 97
Riewoldt 09
Lockett 92
Harvey 92
Harvey 94
Riewoldt 07
Riewoldt 06
Harvey 03
Riewoldt 14
Riewoldt 02
Harvey 96
Harvey 93
Harvey 99
Lockett 89

Could add a few

But as you can see... Whilst Locketts best is enormous, (as was the other two) for sheer output, I'd have the other two on par or ahead .... Lockett just did not sustain output
Missing large parts of
88, 89, 90, 93, 94
That's 5 of his 11 seasons severely interrupted (discount 83)
84-86 he was a a gun forward but wasn't yet considered the best fwd in the game or StKs best
Interestingly enough, in Locketts greatest Goalkicking season 92 where he kicked 132 goals... Harvey was B&F

[spert]

Once we make the 8 later this season, send Roo back to Texas for a break, and bring him home for the finals