Star key forward Jack Riewoldt’s significant scoreboard impact in Richmond’s final home-and-away round victory over Brisbane at the MCG will hold him in good stead leading into the September action.
Riewoldt had kicked nine goals in six games coming into last Sunday’s match, after returning from nearly three months on the sidelines with a knee injury.
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He’d been a valuable contributor without quite looking his normally potent self inside the Tigers’ forward-50 area.
But that all changed significantly from the outset of the clash with the Lions.
It was vintage Riewoldt, as he led out to the ball with conviction, marked strongly, and then converted his opportunities with pinpoint, set-shot accuracy.
His four-goal, opening-term goal blitz set up the crucial win for Richmond. And it would have done plenty for his confidence moving forward as well.
Although Riewoldt didn’t add to his goal tally after quarter-time, he continued to be a dangerous target for the Tigers in attack and posed big problems for the Brisbane backline.
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He finished the match with 14 disposals, seven marks, including five inside-50, four goals (a game high and his best return for the 2019 season) and seven score involvements.
Clearly, the combination of Riewoldt and Tom Lynch (54 goals this season) up forward shapes as a major weapon for Richmond in its finals campaign.
