There was so much more than four points at stake for star Richmond forward Jack Riewoldt and his cousin, St Kilda captain Nick Riewoldt, in yesterday’s clash between the two teams at Etihad Stadium.
The match was played in memory of Nick’s sister Maddie, who passed away earlier this year following a brave fight with bone marrow failure syndrome.
For Jack and Nick, the occasion was all about raising the profile of Maddie Riewoldt’s Vision (MRV), to help finance and find a cure for this insidious disease.
A crowd of 45,722 – Etihad Stadium’s biggest this AFL season – turned out to celebrate and support the first MRV fundraiser.
Jack was understandably emotional, but immensely proud, as he joined Richmond coach Damien Hardwick in the post-match press conference, following the Tigers’ 16-point win.
“From the Vision point of view, it was a fantastic day,” Riewoldt said.
“Obviously, 45,000 people, and the ticket sales were fantastic for us, and it’s a really good launch-pad for the Vision.
“I’m extremely proud to be involved, and extremely proud of the people behind the scenes who have done a lot of work. Nick and I have obviously been fronting it a lot.
“It’s tough to describe, coming into a game like this, when the build-up is centered around something to do with your family.
VIDEO: Damien Hardwick and Jack Riewoldt’s post-game press conference
“The week, and since we launched, has been pretty full-on, and we’ve been trying to spread the word because we want to kick off in a pretty big fashion.
“We want to eradicate bone marrow failure syndrome, and we need money to do that.
“The public support, and the two football clubs, have been above and beyond fantastic. They’ve given us so much.
“The Saints were fantastic with their match-day, and the Tigers came to the table and really helped out.
“Two football clubs bonded together for one family, really.”
Richmond coach Damien Hardwick praised Riewoldt for the way he conducted himself in the lead-up to the special occasion, and on match-day itself.
“Both him and Nick were front and square, and from a coaching perspective you’re hoping it’s not too much of a distraction. But some things are bigger than life,” Hardwick said.
“I think Jack – and this is a sign of the maturity of the guy, he’s improved enormously. He’s not only grow, up on-field, he’s grown up off-field.
“It’s a very humbling experience for him this week, and I thought he handled it incredibly well.
“It just goes to show that the one thing footy can do is bring together people for a common cause, and I think we saw that today.”
