In the countdown to bouncedown season 2012, Tony Greenberg continues his examination of the burning questions on the lips of the Yellow and Black faithful. Today he contemplates . . .
Can Jack Riewoldt recapture his brilliant 2010 form?
Given the fact he was hampered with injuries for a decent chunk of last season, I reckon it’s reasonable to assume that a fit ‘Jumping Jack’ will be firing on all cylinders in 2012.
An injury to Riewoldt’s left ankle (which was subsequently operated on at the end of the season, along with surgery on both hips and a finger) severely restricted his renowned leaping ability and he was forced to adapt his game accordingly.
Mind you, he still managed to play a leading role in the Tigers’ forward line, booting 62 goals and, particularly pleasing from a coaching viewpoint, significantly increasing his goal assists from the previous season.
The 23-year-old, who now has 90 AFL games under his belt, and is on the verge of reaching the 200 goal milestone, with 197, has been back in full training for about three weeks following his post-season operations.
He looked pretty sharp in windy conditions during last Friday’s intra-club hit-out at Whitten Oval, and it’s anticipated he’ll be eased through the Tigers’ NAB Cup campaign.
Richmond developed a multi-pronged attack last year, with Riewoldt, Ty Vickery, Dustin Martin, Robbie Nahas and Jake King all scoring more than 25 goals. While the Tigers clearly now have less reliance on Riewoldt to kick goals, there’s no doubting his importance to the team.
Riewoldt has the all-round game - strong (sometimes spectacular) marking, accurate kicking, ground-level expertise, competitive spirit, energy and football smarts - to cause giant headaches for opposition backs, and delight the Tiger faithful in the process.
The next Burning Question on richmondfc.com.au will appear tomorrow.