The Saints’ is still a terrifying prospect for opposition defenders, even at 31. Recently, All-Australian full-back Scott Thompson spoke about the problems Riewoldt provides.
"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."
With younger forwards around him still developing and learning the game, the St Kilda number 12 has had to take on an even heavier load. It means shutting the forward out of Saturday’s clash looms as the number one item on the match committee’s checklist.
A look at St Kilda’s statistics going forward illustrates the importance Riewoldt has to his side.
Beginning with the players who have been targets on entry inside the forward 50, Riewoldt is clearly out in front, and by a staggering amount.
Through 15 games, he’s been the inside 50 target on 132 occasions. To provide context to the number, he has been the focus on more than 20 per cent of St Kilda’s inside 50’s for the season. As a comparison, Drew Petrie leads North’s inside 50 targets on 91, only 12.5 per cent of the team’s entries for the season.
| Player | Inside 50 targets | % of team's total inside 50's |
| Nick Riewoldt | 132 | 20.7% |
| Drew Petrie | 91 | 12.5% |
A natural flow-on from being such a focus is Riewoldt taking the large proportion of St Kilda’s marks inside forward 50.
Only three Saints are in double figures for the statistic in 2014, with the skipper having almost three times as many marks as the next team-mate. With 38 marks inside the forward 50, he’s well out in front of Rhys Stanley, next on the list with 15.
Not only does Riewoldt take the majority of marks inside 50 for his side, he also works up the field to be a prime option. He’s taken 50 marks on the lead this season, 36 of those outside the forward 50.
It means he is the first target when entering St Kilda’s forward 50, the man who takes the most marks inside 50 and also the player who his team-mates look towards when anywhere in the front half of the ground.
When the ball has hit the deck, many would expect Riewoldt to take a back seat. At 193 centimetres, he is hardly the most suitable option to win a ground ball.
The numbers show he’s more than capable though. With 21 groundball gets in the forward 50, Riewoldt leads his team, well clear of Clinton Jones with 14. They are outstanding numbers for the key-forward considering the relative lack of time the Sherrin spends in that area of the field.
Riewoldt also has eight forward 50 tackles, a number higher than all but three of his team-mates this season. He can do it all, and often has been during 2014.
It leaves the question of how North can best neutralise his threat at Blundstone Arena. In 2013’s victory over the Saints, the Kangaroos employed a rotating cast of defenders dropping in front of Riewoldt to cut off supply. Michael Firrito, Aaron Mullett and Lachlan Hansen took seven intercept marks between them, helping out Scott Thompson in his direct matchup.
With so much focus put towards Riewoldt during the game, he still managed to kick three goals from 12 disposals, in a side which was heavily beaten. It demonstrates the enormity of the task facing the North defence on Saturday afternoon.
