LEMMENS PICKING
Young Sun beats injury – now to kickstart team
FOR the first time in Michael Rischitelli’s 16-year AFL career, he is staring down the barrel of not playing a single senior game.
And it’s all part of the plan for the Gold Coast player.
With 236 AFL games to his name Rischitelli is one of the most experienced players in the country ... and is running around the NEAFL with rookie status.
When Rischitelli, 33, agreed to sign a one-year deal at the end of 2018 he and the club agreed his playing role was shifting.
In truth it had already started that year with a move down to halfback to enable Gold Coast’s younger midfielders to develop.
This year Rischitelli is helping develop and foster the next wave of players on the Suns’ list in the reserves, providing leadership and advice on and off field knowing full well he is helping them go past him.
If they are it means the system is working.
“I can’t play forever and this was always part of the process,” Rischitelli said of a 2019 deal he signed with eyes wide open.
“I knew from the start what was happening and I’ve just carried on.”
Rischitelli said he was content if he never added to his AFL games tally, confident he had squeezed every bit out of his incredible career across the Brisbane Lions and Suns.
“With where I am at, if I play then great,” Rischitelli said.
“If I don’t play any more football then I know I’ve given everything.
“I know deep down I have done what I need to do and given everything so I can walk away knowing I have done that and I’m really happy.”
Football is full of egos and many who would have preferred to walk away from the game then to play second fiddle. But Rischitelli has put his club first in every instance and the value he is getting from moulding the future stars of the game is worth every bit to him.
It’s the same role triple
premiership Lion Nigel Lappin played for him in his earliest days in Brisbane.
“You just want to play until you can’t play anymore. That is the way I see it anyway,” Rischitelli said.
“You can enjoy the last bit of your time and hopefully I can bring something to the table for the young ones.
“I’m helping out in those areas, similar to when I was younger and was new to the system.
“If they take one thing out of it, whether its my training or what I say or do then great. The end picture is to get everyone better.
“I come into it on game day especially. I’m a bit more of a leader on the field and helping direct. It’s also about the guys knowing what they have to do but trying to get them not to put too much pressure on themselves.
“Once you find that balance the potential for success and getting everything out of your career is there.”
Rischitelli used to find enjoyment in playing at the highest level – now he finds it in other ways.
“The big enjoyment was playing against the best and testing yourself against the best at the highest level,” Rischitelli said.
“That whole year you put your body through everything. A lot of those things still
apply and I’m definitely enjoying it.
“My sole focus was to really enjoy my footy this year and so far it’s been pretty good.”
Gold Coast lost the opening four games of the NEAFL season before securing a breakthrough win over the Northern Territory in Darwin last weekend.
They will have 15 AFL listed players for today’s Round 6 game against Aspley in Brisbane and Rischitelli, who is enjoying being back in the midfield, said he felt they had turned a corner.
“I feel like we have kicked our season off and all we need to do is bring that same mentality,” Rischitelli said.
“We didn’t quite get it right in the first few weeks but we nailed it last week.”
Corey Ellis will return after recovering from an ankle injury and will be joined by some of the club’s top academy players: Connor Budarick, Hewago Paul Oea, Josh Gore and Alex Davies.
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