RICHMOND'S three-time premiership forward, Jack Riewoldt, will hang up the boots after a farewell game against North Melbourne at the MCG on Saturday after opting not to play on in 2024.
The clash against the Roos will also be retiring former skipper Trent Cotchin's final match, setting the stage for an emotional afternoon for the Tigers faithful.
Riewoldt said the decision of whether to retire had been an ongoing thought process throughout the year.
He joked he really knew it was time to make the call during last round's loss to St Kilda, when in the process of taking a hanger, he was only being able to knee Saint Jack Sinclair "just above the tailbone", rather than on the shoulder or upper back.
Exuberant, dedicated and always entertaining – whether the Tigers were flying high or struggling – Riewoldt will retire having played the second-most games for the club (currently 346), behind only Kevin Bartlett.
Riewoldt will turn 35 in October, having been drafted to the club with pick No.13 in 2006, and will retire with three flags and three Coleman medals (2010, 2012 and 2018) to his name.
Curiously, he was not named in the All-Australian side of 2012, instead making the cut in 2015.
He is an 11-time leading goalkicker for the club (and is likely to top the charts ahead of Shai Bolton again this season), having come into the AFL carrying the weight of the Riewoldt surname made famous by cousin Nick.
Riewoldt was also heir apparent for another legendary Tasmanian Tiger in Matthew Richardson, with the pair's careers dovetailing. It was the introduction of Riewoldt to the side that was partly behind Richardson's late-career move to the wing, to allow the young forward to begin to control the attack.
"I am ready for the next chapter, and I think the club is ready to regenerate and find a new path forward," Riewoldt said.
WHO’S CALLED IT QUITS 2023’s retirements and delistings
"I never thought my journey would get this far or that I would be a part of anything like what I have been. But I am so thankful for everyone who has played a part."
The Richmond spearhead celebrated the Tigers' breakthrough 2017 premiership triumph by singing (or bellowing) Mr Brightside onstage with The Killers, still in playing kit and boots.
Fans watched on as the brash, athletic forward matured from famously running away from reporters, to vice-captaining the side and becoming a respected voice on broader issues facing the game.
After that infamous bolt from the press pack towards Richmond train station in 2014, Riewoldt responded by booting a career-high 11.2 against GWS a few days later.
On the field, Riewoldt spent most of his career having to be "the" spearhead for the side, culminating in 2017 when his second tall forward was the 186cm Josh Caddy.
Even this year, the injury-enforced absence of Tom Lynch has seen a battered Riewoldt run and jump and jump again, supported by raw offsiders such as Samson Ryan, Ben Miller and Jacob Bauer or, in a throwback to the Caddy era, winger Marlion Pickett.
At 193cm, Riewoldt himself isn't a spearhead in the mould of Lynch, Tom Hawkins or Harry McKay, or the previous generation of Jonathan Brown and Fraser Gehrig.
Wickedly smart and often reading the play a second ahead of his defender, he would soar high to mark, or twist to protect the drop of the ball, rather than relying on outmuscling opposition.
He has been fiercely consistent in front of goal, kicking 786 goals at an average of 46 over his 17 seasons, behind only Jack Titus (970) and Richardson (800) at the club and ranked 13th all-time.
But Riewoldt said he was most proud of helping instigate the cultural change that was the catalyst for the club's first premiership in 37 years.
"In 2017, we probably weren't the most talented list out there, but we had a superpower we'd created right down there in the Graeme Richmond Room (club auditorium), through the ability to connect on a different level," Riewoldt said.
"We were an amazing defensive team that year, but we had a trust we unlocked. Other people saw it as a strength and copied it, but ultimately, we were the only team that could do it at that time. It was unique to us, and I'm really proud of that.
"I spoke to the guys about the legend of St Rose café (in Essendon). That was where Trent and I sat down and spoke about legacy, what it looked like for us as older players at the time, and what it looked like for the club. How we could create that 11th premiership for the likes of Daniel Rioli, who was in his second year at the time.
"Funnily enough, it happened within a year. We turned in, everyone invested, and we found the thing that connected the group together, which was storytelling and that famous 'triple H' (hero, hardship and highlight categories) which we used to share with each other, and it turned around in the space of five or six months.
"We'd finished 13th the year before, and it all came together. While we'd spoken about Daniel being around for that next premiership cup, we found ourselves smack bang in the middle of it."
Riewoldt is the fourth Tiger to have retired this year, following skipper Trent Cotchin, Robbie Tarrant and Jason Castagna at the start of the season, while coach Damien Hardwick has also departed.
Richmond CEO Brendon Gale opened Riewoldt's retirement press conference by saying "welcome, again", with a wry grin on his face.
Just nine Richmond players from the 2017 flag remain at the club six years on: Dustin Martin, Dylan Grimes, Toby Nankervis, Dion Prestia, Nathan Broad, Jack Graham, Daniel Rioli, Nick Vlastuin and Kamdyn McIntosh.
MOST VFL/AFL CAREER GOALS
1360 – Tony Lockett (StK/Syd)
1299 – Gordon Coventry (Coll)
1254 – Jason Dunstall (Haw)
1066 – Lance Franklin (Haw/Syd)
1057 – Doug Wade (Geel/NM)
1031 – Gary Ablett (Haw/Geel)
970 – Jack Titus (Rich)
926 – Matthew Lloyd (Ess)
915 – Leigh Matthews (Haw)
874 – Peter McKenna (Coll/Carl)
817 – Bernie Quinlan (Foots/Fitz)
800 – Matthew Richardson (Rich)
786 – Jack Riewoldt (Rich)
MOST GOALS FOR RICHMOND
970 – Jack Titus
800 – Matthew Richardson
786 – Jack Riewoldt
778 – Kevin Bartlett
607 – Michael Roach
369 – Royce Hart
