Jack Riewoldt

Early life and junior football

Riewoldt was born in Hobart, Tasmania to parents Chris and Lesley Riewoldt.

He was raised in the east Hobart suburb of Bellerive and played junior football for Clarence in Tasmania's SFL. In 2006 he was a member of the club's senior premiership winning side.

He later played and trained with the Tassie Mariners at TAC Cup level and represented his state at the 2006 AFL Under 18 Championships. In three matches at the championships he kick a total of eight goals and was named in his side's best players on two occasions.

In 2006 he played eight matches for the Tasmanian Devils in the VFL. One particularly noteworthy game came against Bendigo, where he kicked four goals and took 13 marks.

He attended high school at St Virgil's and Rosny Colleges in Hobart.

Prior to the draft, AFL Media's Matt Burgen labelled him a "goal-kicking forward who is extremely strong overhead." He was however considered both short and slow for his position, with North Melbourne recruiting manager Neville Stibbard later remarking that he did not believe Riewoldt was "athletic or tall enough to play key position at either end (of the field)."

2007 season

Riewoldt was drafted by Richmond with the club's first selection and the 13th selection overall in the 2006 AFL National Draft.

He made his AFL debut in round 9 of the 2007 season, in the Dreamtime at the 'G match against Essendon at the MCG. He did not play the following week, next appearing in the senior side in round 14. He kicked his first career goal as part of a three-goal performance against Port Adelaide in round 16. He would go on to play in five of the final six games of the season, finishing with seven goals from his eight senior matches that year.

2008 season

In 2008 Riewoldt established himself as a regular member of Richmond's senior team. He played his first match of the season in round 4 and missed just one more match that season, finishing with 18 matches played. His round 15 bag of five goals against West Coast was a then career-best. He kicked a total of 18 goals, good for fifth best at the club that season.

2009 season

Riewoldt opened a season in Richmond's best-22 for the first time in season 2009, playing against Carlton's in the clubs' round 1 match-up. In the first seven rounds of the season he booted seven goals, before missing the club's rounds 8 and 9 matches. He returned with two goals against Fremantle in round 10, before adding three more in round 11 against the Western Bulldogs. Over the nine games following his absence he would score 20 goals, besting his season total from the year before. Included in this run was a six-goal performance in Richmond's round 17 victory over Essendon. Riewoldt was lauded by The Age's Jake Niall that week for his "footy smarts" and marking ability. He did not miss another game that season, finishing with 20 matches played and a team-second 32 goals. He also placed eighth in the club's best and fairest count.

2010 season

2010 was a breakout year for Riewoldt. He started the season strongly, kicking 15 goals in his first seven matches. In the next eight matches between rounds 8 and 15 Riewoldt kicked a league-best 43 goals. It was the highest total over that many games since Matthew Lloyd nine years earlier. He kicked a career best 10 goals in round 12 in a victory over West Coast. The haul included five first-quarter goals, with four coming within the first 11 minutes of play. He became the first player to kick 10 goals in a match since Jonathan Brown in 2007, and the first Richmond player since Matthew Richardson did so in 2004. In round 21 Riewoldt was named best-on-ground for his 17 disposal, 11 mark and seven goal performance against St Kilda at Docklands Stadium. He thus became the first Richmond player to win the Ian Stewart Medal in its seven-year history. For the first time in four-year career, Riewoldt finished the season having played every possible match. His 73 goals was the most by any player in the league, earning him the Coleman Medal and the Michael Roach Medal as the league, and the club leading goalkicker respectively. Four days after winning the Coleman, Riewoldt secured the Jack Dyer Medal as Richmond's best and fairest player. He was also named to the All-Australian team in the position of full forward.

Riewoldt was later selected to tour Ireland and represent Australia in the 2010 International Rules Series.

2011 season

Prior to the start of the 2011 season Riewoldt was added to the Richmond's six man leadership group.

Following a six-goal start to the season against Carlton in round 1, he suffered a tougher fortnight to follow. He suffered a concussion early in the club's round 2 match with St Kilda and was substituted before he was able to record an impact in any major statistical category. He was seen crawling up the stairs connecting the change rooms to the field and arguing forcefully to be returned to the match. Riewoldt earned criticism from coach Damien Hardwick in April, told he needed to change his on-field demeanour after being seen yelling at teammate Dustin Martin and giving the finger to the Hawthorn bench in round 3. He was also fined $1,200 by the AFL for the hand gesture. He was criticised by Robert Walls in The Age for selfish play; Walls said Riewoldt had "become an individual in a team sport."

He worked his way into unprecedented form in the following six matches however, kicking four goals four times and bags of five on two occasions. His form remained strong for the rest of the season, despite lower goal kicking tallies the result of Hardwick enacting his pre-season plan to play Riewoldt further up the ground. For the second straight year he won the club leading goalkicker award and played in each of the club's 22 matches. Riewoldt's 62 goals saw him place second in the race for the Coleman Medal behind Lance Franklin. Riewoldt placed ninth in the club's best and fairest count that season.

In September it was revealed Riewoldt had played through injuries all season and would require four surgeries; one on each hip, one on his finger and another on his left ankle. He was also dealing with rib cartilage damage suffered after a training accident.

2012 season

Following an off-season of surgeries and recovery, Riewoldt started the season inaccurately, kicking five goals and nine behinds through his first three matches. He was back to his best by mid-season through, kicking bags of six and eight goals in back-to-back matches in round 9 and 10 against Hawthorn and St Kilda respectively. The round 10 victory was Riewoldt's 100th career match and Richmond's first win over St Kilda since 2003. He also kicked bags of five goals in rounds 16 and 20 matches against Gold Coast and the Western Bulldogs. For the second time in three years Riewoldt topped the league's goal scoring race at season's end, securing the Coleman Medal for the 2012 season. He entered the club's final match of the season three goals behind tied-leaders Matthew Pavlich (Fremantle) and Tom Hawkins (Geelong), but booted six goals to finish with 65 on the season and two clear of the pair. Riewoldt became just the second Richmond player to win multiple Coleman Medals and tied Michael Roach's club record in doing so. Through he was selected in the initial nominees, Riewoldt ultimately went unnamed in the year's All Australian team. He was considered a controversial omission according to Warwick Green and Matt Windley of the Herald Sun. He placed ninth at the club in the season's best and fairest award.

2013 season

The 2012-13 off-season again saw Riewoldt going under the knife for minor surgeries, the recovery of which forced him onto a limited training load. Before the season had officially began Riewoldt had already shown his worth, kicking a goal after the siren to win Richmond's pre-season match-up with Hawthorn.

While he was held goal-less in round 1's win over Carlton, Riewoldt responded the following week with a seven-goal haul against St Kilda. He backed up the performance the following week, kicking five more goals in a victory over the Western Bulldogs. Riewoldt attracted media criticism during round 5's one point loss to Fremantle, labelled "a primma donna" by Mark Maclure after he reacted angrily to teammates following the close loss.

All season Riewoldt had been the subject of media speculation concerning his contract and playing future. He was reported to have received offers from Fremantle, but preempted trade approaches by signing a new three-year deal with Richmond in late July.

After 17 rounds Riewoldt was placed third on the league's goal kicking tally, having amassed 47 to that point. He finished the season with 57 goals, his lowest tally since 2009 but still managed to win a fourth straight club leading goalkicker award. He played in his first career final in September, when Richmond lost to Carlton in an elimination final at the MCG. Riewoldt placed equal seventh in the club's best and fairest count at season's end. He placed third in the league for goal assists.

2014 season

In February 2014 Riewoldt was dropped from Richmond's five-player leadership group, replaced by defender Troy Chaplin. This, along with a plan by coach Hardwick to play him in a "traditional centre half forward role," saw Riewoldt approaching the season differently than he had in some time. He reduced his playing weight in the off-season, increasing his fitness base while also recovering from minor off-season surgery to his knee and hip.

Riewoldt's performance in round's 1 loss to Gold Coast was labelled "relatively poor" by coach Hardwick, with the forward recording less than 10 disposals and only one goal for the first time since round 8, 2012. He was reported for tripping in round 3, but escaped with only a reprimand after the AFL Match Review panel deeming the offence unworthy of suspension.

He was chastised by club officials in May, when he spoke out publicly against the effectiveness of the team's new short-kicking game-style. Hardwick jokingly explained to the media that the club had "moved (Riewoldt's) foot from his mouth and my foot from his arse." He publicly apoligised via Twitter, and avoided the selection axe as a result. His on field response was significant, when he booted a career-high 11 goals in Richmond's 113 point win over the GWS Giants in Sydney.

In July Riewoldt was named at Full-Forward in AFL Tasmania's Tasmanian Team of the Decade.

For the second straight season Riewoldt and the Tigers would qualify for the AFL Finals, but were again eliminated after just one match. He finished the season having kicked 61 goals and winning Richmond's goalkicking award for the fifth consecutive year. He became just the second player in the club's history to kick 50 goals in five straight seasons, following Jack Titus in 1934-1938.

2015 season

After an emotional off-season which included the death of his cousin Maddie, Riewoldt endured an equally emotional round 1. He kicked four goals in Richmond's win over Carlton and was seen dedicating his performance to her memory by pointing to the sky after each of his goals. He hit a strong run of form in rounds 5 to 8, kicking 14 goals and averaging more than seven marks over the four week period. In round 13 he would kick his biggest tally of the season, with six goals against Sydney at the SCG. round 16's match-up with St Kilda was marked as "Maddie's match," raising funds for the Riewoldt cousins' cause Maddie's Vision. He kicked two goals in Richmond's winning side.

All-in-all 2015 proved an excellent year for Riewoldt, winning a sixth straight club leading goalkicker award (54) and setting then career highs for marks and disposals. For the second time in his career Riewoldt earned selection to the AFL's All-Australian team, this time in the position of centre-half forward. He also placed fifth in Richmond's best and fairest, securing the Kevin Bartlett medal. Riewoldt also broke a Richmond record in 2015, surpassing Jack Titus to become the first Richmond player to kick more than 50 goals in six consecutive seasons.

Riewoldt signed a contract extension in late June, keeping him contracted to Richmond through at least the end of the 2019 season.

2016 season

When Richmond captain Trent Cotchin faced calls to resign the position in late 2015, Riewoldt was named as a possible replacement. He quashed the speculation, explaining "I can't even entertain the question (of becoming captain) because in my eyes I think (Cotchin) is the best person to captain our football club."

On-field, the season saw Riewoldt continue his transition to the centre half forward position. He improved his endurance, agility and leaping ability by shedding weight and focusing on the game further from the goal-line. He suffered a minor ankle injury in round 5 and required an intense program of icing and rehabilitation to be ready for his club's round 6 match with Port Adelaide. He played in his 200th career game in round 21's loss to Geelong at the MCG. Riewoldt ultimately played in each of Richmond's 22 games in 2016, kicking a team leading 48 goals. It was the first time he went without kicking a bag of five goals in a match since his eight-game debut season. He did however set a new personal best in total and average disposals, playing his new role closer to the midfield. Riewoldt placed fourth at the club's best and fairest count, securing the Fred Swift medal as a result.

After what was a year labelled a backward step by the club's coach, Riewoldt was surrounded by trade speculation by media outlets. He reiterated his commitment to the club, claiming he was "yellow and black all the way."

2017 season

Riewoldt's 2017 pre-season was hampered by lingering injury concerns. He underwent what was expected to be minor ankle surgery in September 2016, before the procedure was changed to a full ankle reconstruction midway through as a result of the surgeon uncovering more severe damage. In November he went under the knife again, this time to repair damage to a previously broken finger. He was appointed Richmond's co-vice-captain in March 2017. He was to share the role with defender Alex Rance, while both served under continuing captain Trent Cotchin

With the free-agency departure of full forward Ty Vickery in the off-season, Riewoldt would necessarily see more game-time in deep forward positions in 2017. In round 1, 2017 he recorded a career best seven tackles in Richmond's victory over Carlton. round 5's Anzac Day eve clash with Melbourne saw Riewoldt kick six goals in wet weather play. He kicked his 500th career goal in round 7, 2017 in a match against the Western Bulldogs at Etihad Stadium. He was the fifth fastest to the milestone in the history of the club. After 11 games and at the mid-season bye, Riewoldt had kicked 29 goals. His two and three goal games in rounds 13 and 14 brought his streak of consecutive games with multiple goals to 10. He was the only player in the comptetion to hold that streak at the time and held fifth place in the year's goalkicking tally. Riewoldt was one of a number of poor performer's in Richmond's round 16 loss to St Kilda, kicking just one goal and gathering seven possessions in the 67 point loss. What's more, Riewoldt's first possession didn't come until the eighth minute of the game's second quarter. An accidental poke in the eye during training caused Riewoldt to suffer a cut cornea and bleeding behind the eye, the result of which forced him to miss Richmond's round 19 match against the Gold Coast. It brought to an end Riewoldt's steak of 86 consecutive games played.In round 23, Jack played against his cousin Nick for the final time after Nick finished his season as St. Kilda missed the playoffs in Nick's final season.

Statistics

Personal life

Riewoldt is engaged to long-time girlfriend Carly Ziegler.

His father Chris was a 298-game player at Clarence in the Tasmanian Football League.

He has two younger brothers, Harry and Charlie, both of whom played for Tasmania at junior state level. He is the first cousin of St Kilda AFL footballer, Nick Riewoldt.

His paternal grandparents Heinz and Helga immigrated from Germany in 1950.

Away from the football field Riewoldt is also a keen golfer, once playing off a handicap as low as 0.6.

Media career

Riewoldt appears as a weekly guest on Fox Footy's AFL 360.

Cancer scare

In 2007 Riewoldt had a cancerous mole removed from his back. He had further tissue removed after the 0.9 millimetre melanoma was confirmed to be cancerous and has since undergone regular check-ups to prevent occurrence.

In 2014 he led a campaign by the AFL Players Association and Cancer Council Victoria to "convince men to have difficult conversations about cancer."

Maddie's Vision

When Riewoldt's cousin Maddie (sister to Nick) died in early 2015 as a result of the blood disease aplastic anaemia, Jack and the family became public spokespeople for a charity set up in her honour, Maddie's Vision.