The return of St Nick!
Warning:
To the other fifteen teams in the AFL competition. This article contains content that may shock and shake you; it may tremble the tips of your top four grasping fingers; it may lead to acts of desperation and severe inner reflection. If you are currently experiencing the symptoms of finals confidence— excitement, jitters, joy, smile headaches— then avoid this prescription at all costs. Those of you who take no notice of this warning, or ignore its potent message, beware…
For Nick Riewoldt is returning!
He left the literal and figurative park in the round three clash between Collingwood and the Saints. He suffered a severe, three month debilitating, hamstring injury. He has backed into the darkness of recovery and rehab and we’ve heard little from him since. In the next few weeks, he will emerge from the unknown darkness and fall back into the sharp spotlight.
At the end of last season and the start of this one, Riewoldt was doted as the most indispensable player in the league. Captain of St Kilda, he is a murderous force at centre half forward and demands perfection from his own game and the games of the seventeen other men that structure around him.
He was an integral feature of St Kilda’s 2009 campaign, in which his Saints finished runner up to the legendary Geelong Cats. Most predict that without St Nick at the helm, the Saints have no chance of repeating or bettering their 2009 feat.
However, until now, they’ve managed quite impressively in his absence. With the genius of Stevie Milne, and the hardened presence of Lenny Hayes as stand-in captain, St Kilda has kept its top four position.
The question, quite unpredictably, has become whether coach Ross Lyon can reintroduce his endangered species back into the wild… without the entire ecosystem falling down around him.
To do it successfully, he will need to maintain his strong support for those who have stepped up in Riewoldt’s absence, to ensure the load does not merely burden itself back onto the skipper’s weary shoulders. Hayes, Milne, Goddard, Montagne. These are the names that need to be heard collectively above the often deafening praise for their broad shouldered leader.
If Nick needs any more incentive to return to the literal footy park, it will come with the revelation of his cousin, Jack. This younger cousin Riewoldt has kicked 26 goals in his last four outings and leads the Coleman Medal quite convincingly. For Nick to have any standing at the family Christmas barbecue this year he needs to return to what he did best…
… Dominating!
To the other fifteen teams in the AFL competition. This article contains content that may shock and shake you; it may tremble the tips of your top four grasping fingers; it may lead to acts of desperation and severe inner reflection. If you are currently experiencing the symptoms of finals confidence— excitement, jitters, joy, smile headaches— then avoid this prescription at all costs. Those of you who take no notice of this warning, or ignore its potent message, beware…
For Nick Riewoldt is returning!
He left the literal and figurative park in the round three clash between Collingwood and the Saints. He suffered a severe, three month debilitating, hamstring injury. He has backed into the darkness of recovery and rehab and we’ve heard little from him since. In the next few weeks, he will emerge from the unknown darkness and fall back into the sharp spotlight.
http://www.abc.net.au/reslib/201004/r546218_3204113.jpg
At the end of last season and the start of this one, Riewoldt was doted as the most indispensable player in the league. Captain of St Kilda, he is a murderous force at centre half forward and demands perfection from his own game and the games of the seventeen other men that structure around him.
He was an integral feature of St Kilda’s 2009 campaign, in which his Saints finished runner up to the legendary Geelong Cats. Most predict that without St Nick at the helm, the Saints have no chance of repeating or bettering their 2009 feat.
However, until now, they’ve managed quite impressively in his absence. With the genius of Stevie Milne, and the hardened presence of Lenny Hayes as stand-in captain, St Kilda has kept its top four position.
http://www.foxsports.com.au/common/imagedata/0,5001,6640394,00.jpg
The question, quite unpredictably, has become whether coach Ross Lyon can reintroduce his endangered species back into the wild… without the entire ecosystem falling down around him.
To do it successfully, he will need to maintain his strong support for those who have stepped up in Riewoldt’s absence, to ensure the load does not merely burden itself back onto the skipper’s weary shoulders. Hayes, Milne, Goddard, Montagne. These are the names that need to be heard collectively above the often deafening praise for their broad shouldered leader.
If Nick needs any more incentive to return to the literal footy park, it will come with the revelation of his cousin, Jack. This younger cousin Riewoldt has kicked 26 goals in his last four outings and leads the Coleman Medal quite convincingly. For Nick to have any standing at the family Christmas barbecue this year he needs to return to what he did best…
… Dominating!
http://www.zimbio.com/pictures/bUPZWPSX2p0/St Kilda Training Session/LS08niYXGK4/Nick Riewoldt
