Nick Riewoldt question from a non saints fan.

[drew_j]

Hello saints fans,

I've been a big fan of Nick for a while, his courage in the contest is bloody awesome, but one issue has been raised by me and a mate of mine for a while. It's been seen by us (and maybe others, I don't follow the main board enough to deduce) that he's got all the signs of being a champion, but hasn't actually taken the step to becoming one. The reason behind this thought is that he has awesome tallent and physique, but when the game is there to be won by a qucik bag, or a crunch shot to get the saints back in the game, he seems to fold a bit. Now before you denounce me as a troll, I'd like to say I'm asking because I want to know from people who've seen a hell of a lot more saints games than me (the saints get little FTA and I watch less). Do you guys have any examples for what I just said to be a load of crap? Games where he's turned the tide by his own boot etc.

P.S. if this has been done before I didn't search because I've got no cap left and it'd take all night :( please link if so.

[CHBench]

Since we got an injection of youth in the past couple of games Rooey has really shown what a true leader he is. It seems he is thriving on the youth and the leadership that is needed from him.

Rnd 13 against Freo, no doubt was a horrible disgusting game. We had 3 debutants as well as 6 other players with under 20 games of experience. We needed someone to stand up especially with Lenny Hayes hamstrung in the first qtr. Our game was breaking down all over the place, the ball wasn't getting down inside the 50 quick enough and most of the game he had 3 opponents on him. I don't know if this was the coaches initiative or Rooey's idea but he took on a Richo roll, roaming up and down the field in defense and up forward. In the last quarter we were yearning for a match winner, with all our young legs running out of steam we needed someone to stand up. And Riewoldt did, kicked an absolute stunner of a goal under pressure from his Freo opponent across his body 45 out. This indeed was the winner, it capped off his awesome night i which he had 25 disposals, 18 marks and kicked 3.1.

Two weeks ago we were halfway down the shitter, 35pts down early inthe 2nd qtr. And every St Kilda supporter thought we lost it already (even myself) was a well known fact the Saints don't do comebacks, last time we pulled off something similar was a very, very long time ago, something like 10 or so years? Anyway the team was lacking anyone who could do the basics, kick, mark cleanly etc. I think it was Riewoldt who kicked our first, halfway through the 2nd qtr. The last quarter rolled around, we were only down by 16pts or so, we really need a match winner, and of course it was Riewoldt and Kosi. Those two are the berrometers of the team, they lifted, the team lifted. Riewoldt was once again playing Richo, helping out the defense, midfield as well as playing his role across half forward Riewoldt. He finished up with 24 disposals, 14 marks and 1 goal. His game wasn't as good as the previous week but he helped pull the senior players up who had been having a horror night.

And there was that time when he made that vital grab in the wet vs Sydney, i think in 2006. Game in the balance, Sydney pressing with a long ball inside 50 but up jumps Riewoldt going up with the flight of the ball takes a clutch mark that won the game.

Thats all i can think about at the moment, but anyone who doubts his abilities and leadership is crazy. Absolutely no doubt in my mind his the man for the job and he will be captain for a very long time to come.

[TassieSaint]

How about as recently as two weeks ago when he roved a loose ball 40 out and snapped a Milney like match winning goal and then sprinted between half back and full back taking match saving marks for the remaining 3 minutes? I'd argue he was also nigh solely responsible for 'turning the tide' against the Kangaroos last week.

They're just a couple of recent examples, but Nick has won us countless games off his own boot, it's just his kicking under pressure that lets him down. But of course it's the occasional poor kick that gets all the media attention whilst his many match winning performances get nothing more than a passing mention (in this sense he's comparable to Pavlich actually). He is an out and out champion without doubt.

[ChrisFooty]

I think it's been only the last two weeks where he looks really fit. Was not moving anywhere near as well the previous month before that.

Last year Riewoldt had a very strong half of the year. St.kilda are always a chance when he is moving freely and playing well. The week off would of done him well. :)

[St Specky]

It's an interesting subject. We all know he's got the potential to be as good as anyone, but for a while he hadn't stepped up and really shone. Probably last year and even this year (barr the last two weeks) he's been trapped a bit.

When we play slow football and the opposition floods, he's got nowhere to go. He leads and leads until he finally gets the ball his way, usually marking in a bad position or on the half volley/over his head. When we move it quickly and get the ball to him with space to move, he performs best.

It's also a matter of confidence, especially with goal kicking. If he nailed 3/4 of his shots he'd be regarded much higher. The fact that it's more like 1/4 of his shots detracts from how good this guy is, especially on paper.

Now I wouldn't go as far as saying his doing a Richo (as its more of a leading type not free to go anywhere), but when he's able to move up the ground he looks a whole lot better. In the Freo game we we're slow paced and shocking. By him leading up to the wings he was able to recieve the ball even if it was one of those 'go nowhere' chip kicks as the midfield hadn't been flooded. In the Kangaroos game we moved it a hell of a lot quicker and he was able to recieve it on a lead in more space, wheel around and deliver it forward.

[Squizzy1970]

He kicked the goal against Essendon from 45m on an angle to snuff out their charge at us (maybe that's what you remember Funny Top Hat Guy?).

But I agree that he has a major chink - the goalkicking. If he kicked everything from straight in front (like the good forwards tend to do) then no-one would question him. So I can't blame your mates for having a crack. I know the Essendon supporter at work thought he was the most over-rated person in football (but had nothing on the Monday after Roo kicked the winner against Freo and I think has changed his tune!!!).

Having said this, the rest of his game makes up for it (for mine) as well as the way he presents himself as a representative of the club.

I'm happy for other clubs to call him over-rated, as we want him for life.

[The Punter]

He also suffers in many people's eyes because of his style of play.

Riewoldt takes a lot of marks, and most of them are uncontested. This is seen as many as being "cheap", that he is running away from where he is supposed to be and getting possessions in an area of the ground where it easier to get them.

The truth is that he runs so hard to burn off his opponent that the "contest" happened 50m further upfield, and his opponent lost that contest by not being fit or fast enough.

Going back to the Freo game, Riewoldt took a mark late in the first quarter in a familar position, 45m out 45 degree angle, right in front of where my mother and I have been sitting for his entire career. Previously, he looked around for a better option, shuffled back to the top of his run awkwardly, and then proceeded to miss more often than he hit, by greater margins that he should have.

Well, in that Freo game he walked back to his mark with purpose, never looking around for a better target, and proceeded to put it over the goal umpire's head. He did the same thing from 55 out against North Melbourne in the 2nd quarter.

The shedding of all that strapping is probably good for his confidence, but I do expect some moderation of his form this week against a quality opponent in Jarrad Waite.

[Rough_Edges]

;hmmmm;

Riewoldt has won our last 2 games for us though?

[Armitage2Riewoldt]

He hasn't won them, but he's done more than anyone else in our team to win the game for us

Does that count as winning the game for us?

[Persevering Saint]

I think what we're learning is that Roo has unfairly been placed in a role for which he is unsuited. He's been the sole person in the goal square at a far more fullish-half-forward. He's been swamped by players, and he's been expected to kick 6 a week. With that expectation, he's lucky to kick 2, and it feels like he's having a crappy night.

I believe he's better as that Richo-role - and he still kicks his 2, but we get a helluva lot more out of him. The growth of other players to fill his old role in the goal-square, such as Kosi, Allen, Fergie, will all help.

[PendlePie]

He sure as hell is coming into some good form now :thumbsu:

[sainter_girl]

ohhhhhh yeah:thumbsu:

[sauce_head]

I remember one game when we were down by five and there was only 18 second left. Everyone was injured except Reiwoldt and he was taking the kick in. He kicked a torp 123m. He ran almost the full length of the ground with seven defenders hanging off him and a dislocated shoulder and marked his own kick!

It was something else. So he has the ball, marked from his own kick at 65 metres out on the boundary and the siren goes. His left leg is basically fallen off and he is not chance to make the distance and this is the 2008 Grand Final. He walks back, sucking in the pressure when Mooney comes running at him for a cheap shot. He gets Roo on the chest and just bounces off. Roo then drop kicks the ball straight through the middle above the big sticks. The bloody ball travels about 150m metres or something, over the top of the southern stand.

Nobody can believe it (except Roo) and he collects all the premiership medals for the injured players. He diecides to melt them all down and make a statue of Robert Harvey out the front of his house as a jesture to the great man.

And he is stronger than your dad.

[Armitage2Riewoldt]

Didnt play much up the ground tonight, still dominated and finally got the better of Waite.

[Armitage2Riewoldt]

I remember one game when we were down by five and there was only 18 second left. Everyone was injured except Reiwoldt and he was taking the kick in. He kicked a torp 123m. He ran almost the full length of the ground with seven defenders hanging off him and a dislocated shoulder and marked his own kick!

It was something else. So he has the ball, marked from his own kick at 65 metres out on the boundary and the siren goes. His left leg is basically fallen off and he is not chance to make the distance and this is the 2008 Grand Final. He walks back, sucking in the pressure when Mooney comes running at him for a cheap shot. He gets Roo on the chest and just bounces off. Roo then drop kicks the ball straight through the middle above the big sticks. The bloody ball travels about 150m metres or something, over the top of the southern stand.

Nobody can believe it (except Roo) and he collects all the premiership medals for the injured players. He diecides to melt them all down and make a statue of Robert Harvey out the front of his house as a jesture to the great man.

And he is stronger than your dad.

Drugs are bad, mmmkay?

[clobba]

Drugs are bad, mmmkay?
Well sometimes yes...but sometimes people are just naturally stupid which you have to take into consideration. Drunk atm so I dont want to bag drugs :p

[Armitage2Riewoldt]

Yeah, thought you were drunk, but I was thinkin of a quote from South Park...

And there is nothing wrong with alcohol. :D

[SAINTS 4 07 FLAG]

The OP is pretty correct. Nick is a champion, and a great leader, but what lets him down is his CONSTANT ability to destroy sides. Example : last night Carlton on the comeback trail when rooey had a chance to stem the flow and kick a goal at a vital time, he misses. Last week against the Roos he was awesome, his captaincy and leadership really went a long way to winning us that game. But what lets him down is his CONSTANT ability to do this. IMHO

[FredNurks]

The OP is pretty correct. Nick is a champion, and a great leader, but what lets him down is his CONSTANT ability to destroy sides. Example : last night Carlton on the comeback trail when rooey had a chance to stem the flow and kick a goal at a vital time, he misses. Last week against the Roos he was awesome, his captaincy and leadership really went a long way to winning us that game. But what lets him down is his CONSTANT ability to do this. IMHO

you my friend are a hard task master

you are not happy with his constant ability to destroy sides.

what else does he have to do??

[SAINTS 4 07 FLAG]

you my friend are a hard task master

you are not happy with his constant ability to destroy sides.

what else does he have to do??

I'm not doubting he doesn't give his all or doesn't contribute to big wins, what i mean by this is bascially when the team is on fire, he isn't. Like last friday, Lenny was having a blinder and he kicked to rooey in the pocket, he had a shot and missed. Now as i said in my first post , and i probably didnt word it right, but if he kicks these goals other teams would be getting a much bigger fright . I love Nick and seeing him all over the ground is very intriguing , he is stringing together some awesome games and can't wait to see what he can do to a team that is rated very highly this weekend :thumbsu:

[Signd Sealed Saint]

If Rooey hasn't had that strapping on his should which was hindering him he would be killing the B and F. Think about this, Riewoldt playing well all season while kicking straight. Something for us fans to drool over.

[Armitage2Riewoldt]

Doesn't he have (knee) tendonitis as well?

My gawd...

[Rough_Edges]

Yet another BOG - this must be rather embarrasing for the OP.

[Look2Me4Guidance]

All hail the BIG BLONDE OBLITERATOR.

[Rough_Edges]

As good as anyone in the AFL at his best.

His last 4 weeks have been a step above amazing.

[Armitage2Riewoldt]

I think this thread pissed Rooey off. :D