TIGERS ON A MISSION
JACK READY TO PLAY HIS PART
THIS might be the Year of the Pig, but not down at Punt Road, where Richmond has its own motto for the season ahead: The year of redemption.
Stunned by Collingwood’s first-quarter blitz in last year’s preliminary final and unceremoniously booted from the finals, the Tigers are hellbent on righting that September night that went very wrong – killing their dream of back-to-back flags.
Star spearhead Jack Riewoldt said avenging that loss – and repeating the 2017 premiership heroics – was on everyone’s mind.
“At the moment my mindset is completely on 2019 and the year of redemption,” the Tasmanian said.
“Kane Lambert spoke about it at the best and fairest and it really rung true with me, about the year of redemption.
“We feel like we were the best side last year and unfortunately we performed poorly on a really big stage where there’s no tomorrow if you do lose and we were beaten by a very good side who were inches away from winning the whole thing.
“I think every side that thinks they’re a good chance of winning the premiership has that (redemption) in the back of their mind when they don’t win it.
“For us, we know we’ve got some really great players, a really great coaching staff and our structure on and off the field are in a really good spot so we feel like we’ve set ourselves up for another great crack.”
Riewoldt, who last year earned his second best and fairest at the Tigers, acknowledges he is a very different player to the one who first claimed that honour back in 2010 — when he booted 78 goals but his team finished 15th on the ladder.
His progression from oneout spearhead to selfless team man will take another dimension this season when he is partnered in attack by star offseason signing Tom Lynch — something that is getting closer by the day.
“He’s such a tantalising prospect,” Riewoldt said.
“The first time I ever met him, I stood next to him and ... he just towers over the top of me. He’s 200cm and 98 kilos, and he’s just a beast of a man.
“We’re sort of getting our appetite whet at the moment because he’s been in rehab and you look across and you see him moving all right, and then he’ll come in for a couple of drills. I’m just looking forward to the club unleashing him in full training.
“We don’t really know when that’ll be because we’re taking that ‘slowly, slowly’ approach with him because he’s such a valued commodity for our club. But it’s certainly, the dreaming prospect of playing next to him is one that I think about a lot.”