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Jack Riewoldt got a pass mark against the Cats. Picture: Wayne Ludbey
PASSIONATE or petulant. Jack Riewoldt so polarises opinion to the extreme.
Add another description at the MCG. Productive ... to a degree, anyway.
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Gone were the public displays of displeasure that provoked the ire of two premiership players and now respected media commentators last week.
Live HQ: Richmond v Geelong
Jumping Jack was all concentration despite fighting a losing battle to scrounge kicks and goals against probably the most organised and miserly backline in the competition.
That Riewoldt booted three goals and set up two more gave the maligned Richmond key forward a pass mark in his battle with Geelong defender Tom Lonergan.
It was far from a match-influencing performance, but he had excuses. And plenty of them, particularly in the second half with haphazard delivery from Tiger teammates inside his forward 50 domain.
No one in the AFL can expect to get a look at a high ball when they have to contend with a tangle of arms from Lonergan and his backline mates Harry Taylor and Andrew Mackie. Simply, Riewoldt had to earn every one of his possessions.
On a perfect night for the high-flying forwards, it was absolutely no consolation for Richmond that Cats counterparts Tom Hawkins and James Podsiadly also impacted only sporadically in the ebb and flow of what was a fierce contest for three quarters.
But the value of Hawkins and Podsiadly was to present targets and hit the contests hard to at least bring the ball to ground for those dangerous little crumbers like Mathew Stokes and Allen Christensen.
Aside from opportunist Jake King, Riewoldt had no such company to apply scoreboard pressure to the efficient Cats.
Riewoldt literally couldn't wait to get out onto the MCG turf last night ... dressed and ready to go, he was jogging along the Members side boundary line during the little leaguers games more than an hour before the main event.
A cursory wave to a couple of kids who recognised him, he then settled for 20m kicks to assistant coach Brendon Lade for several minutes just to warm to the task.
It was far from the ideal start either for the scrutinised forward when he limped to the interchange gate and down the steps into the dressing rooms after a heavy knock his very first contest.
But Tiger fans breathed easier when their goalkicking ace returned after only two minutes and trotted to Lonergan's side.
The dual Coleman medallist's first contribution was all about team as he tapped a loose ball ruckman-style to release little King to snap a goal early in the first quarter.
And he was on the scoresheet a minute later with a contested mark on the edge of the goal square to play his part in the Tigers' fast start.
When Riewoldt marked a difficult floating kick from Ricky Petterd early in the second term, he held the ball aloft in one hand before slotting the goal from 20m.
It was the sole example of the showman on a night that was all about business to try to unhinge this slick Geelong unit.
The team man to the end. Alas, he could only do so much alone and watched helplessly from the other end as the Cats ran away in the second half.
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