It was another special moment on a special night.

In the moments after the final siren on Saturday night, Alan Richardson embraced Nick Riewoldt before the St Kilda champion walked off Etihad Stadium surrounded by his family and by his teammates.

Speaking on his weekly appearance on Fox Footy program AFL 360, Richardson provided an insight into an emotional aftermath to the second edition of Maddie’s Match.

“(I said to him) what a big week he’d had and how proud he’s made his people,” Richardson said on AFL 360 on Monday night.

“People suffering diseases not dissimilar to Maddie had come through the club, ‘Rooey’ had escorted them through so there was a real understanding of what the occasion meant.

Riewoldt: From the bottom of our heart thank you

“He wrote a brilliant email to all our staff today, thanking them for what the footy club had done for the [Maddie Riewoldt’s] Vision; he’s full of class.”

Richardson praised the way the Riewoldt family has channelled their grief into a remarkably positive cause in raising awareness funds to find a cure for bone marrow failure syndromes.

“Obviously with what happened to Maddie you get involved with the family; it’s an incredibly tough time,” he said.

“But since then, they’ve been able to get something out of Maddie’s passing in terms of working for others and making it a better place for those that have bone marrow syndrome.”