The Saints' captain boasts remarkable athleticism, breaking his opponents with constant run and a relentless work-ethic. He's a proven game-winner.
"That (running) is one of his attributes that sets him apart, but he’s got a couple," Thompson told The Mercury.
"I feel buggered after every game pretty much, but when you play on Nick his running capability is huge so you know you are in for a huge workload."
In a struggling St Kilda outfit, Riewoldt continues to be a standout. Shutting him out of the game will be vital.
"His marking ability on a lead, he takes the ball at the highest point, which I think is a really big strength of his.
"He hits that ball 100 per cent and when someone does that it is pretty hard to defend."
Such a quality player demands respect, and Thompson expects Lachlan Hansen to share the duties in quelling Riewoldt's impact.
Patrolling the defensive 50 as a spare defender against the Hawks, the Roos' number 6 was arguably the most influential player on the ground.
"Lachie has been terrific the last four or five weeks. Individual form fluctuates, but I think the back six have definitely defended better (in 2014) and we’ve restricted opposition to lower scores."
Coming off an inspiring win against the reigning premiers, Thompson and his team-mates are keeping level-headed and focusing on the consistency required to string together back-to-back victories.
"It is great to have those wins, but it is disappointing to look back and think if we had played like that we would have won previous games. It is all about making our worse games better and, hopefully, we can keep those good games up."
