Champion St Kilda forward Nick Riewoldt believes the time is right to walk away from the game while he still has some petrol left in the tank.
The 34-year-old will depart the game at the end of this season with one of the best football resumes in the history of St Kilda Football Club.
Not only has he won more best and fairest’s than any other player in the club’s history, he is also the longest serving captain in the club’s history, a five-time All-Australian, an AFLPA MVP, a Rising Star winner and he will hang the boots up with more than 700 goals to his name.
With his family looking on nearby, Riewoldt announced his decision at Linen House Centre on Monday afternoon, grateful for the opportunity to perform for a club he adores for 17 years and
“I couldn’t be more convinced that the time is right for me to retire and step aside,” Riewoldt told a packed audience inside Linen House Centre on Monday afternoon.
“I’m really proud that I’m doing so with a litre or two of petrol left in the tank rather than being run out on the side of the road with a put-up begging for help.
“I’m really excited about the future, I’m really grateful for the opportunity that I’ve had to represent the football club and do something that I have just loved.
“Clearly it’s a decision that’s taken some time, but when it’s all melted down the one thing that we’re left with his reality and that reality is I’ve got to do something I love, play a sport I love with a club that I absolutely love for 17 years.
“And while the 10-year-old boy in me would love that to last forever, the reality is it's time for me to step aside.”
Since entering the AFL landscape as St Kilda’s precious No. 1 pick in 2000, Riewoldt has lived more than half his life in the spotlight of football obsessed Melbourne where he admits he has learned so much about all facets of his life.
“Footy has taught me so much about life, about friendships, about camaraderie, about selflessness and respect about this amazing game that we play and also for people that aren’t fortunate enough to be in a privileged position that we are to play a game that we love,” Riewoldt said.
“Make no mistake, I absolutely love the game, it’s an incredible sport that exposes so much of who you are; it tells a story about who you are on a weekly basis and there’s no hiding place within that game.
“The spirit of
