Richmond great Jack Riewoldt is getting used to life after football after calling time on his 17-year career at the end of last season.
After 347 games and 787 goals in the yellow and black, Riewoldt leaves a huge hole in Richmond’s forward line and the Tigers are set to get creative to find Tom Lynch’s new inside 50 partner.
While Jacob Koschitzke could be that man after joining from Hawthorn in the trade period, the Tigers could also be set to use premiership defender Noah Balta as a key forward with new coach Adem Yze said to prefer the 24-year-old at the other end of the ground.
Even though Balta has played the majority of his 85 games down back, and took the third most intercept marks in the AFL last season, he’s still shown great promise as a forward at stages and Riewoldt agrees with Yze that the power athlete is best used in attack.
“Yeah, I’d play him forward,” Riewoldt said on SEN’s The Run Home.
“I think he can add more value up forward. They’ve got a couple of backs with (Josh) Gibcus coming back that can shore up the back end.
“I’d like to play Balta up forward if I was Adem Yze.”
As an onlooker, Riewoldt hopes the Tigers have a good year coming off a 13th-placed finish and he’s most looking forward to the Opening Round clash against Gold Coast and their new leader, Richmond’s triple-premiership coach Damien Hardwick.
“It’ll be a good year for the Tigers, hopefully,” Riewoldt said.
“I'm really interested in the first game, which will be the Opening Round, as it’s been slated.
“I just think that the AFL have worked their magic perfectly, the Tiger army will be heading up to the Gold Coast to watch one of their favourite sons coach against them.”
That clash between the Tigers and Suns is set for Saturday, March 9 at Heritage Bank Stadium.