Richmond forward Jack Riewoldt has just put pen to paper on a new one-year deal with the Tigers this week, a deal that will extend the Tasmanian's tenure at Punt Road into a 17th season.
However, Riewoldt has publicly admitted he was unsure if this season would be his last, telling SEN listeners that his future remained uncertain at the commencement of the year.
“Coming into this season I probably was of the mindset that it would be my last year," Riewoldt said.
“I got there just when I turned 18 and now I’ll be 34 at the end of this year. It’s been a long part of my journey, one that I’ve enjoyed thoroughly and one that I didn’t want to end this year at least."
The 326-gamer listed the heartbreaking elimination final loss against Brisbane and the breaking news of the new arrivals at Punt road of Tim Taranto and Jacob Hopper as big reasons why he has chosen to pull the boots on again.
“It’s still hurting a little bit the fact that this season didn’t finish like we would have liked it to. I firmly believe that we had a good chance of going a little bit deeper than we did originally," Riewoldt added.
"Obviously, the news recently with Tim Taranto and Jacob Hopper selecting that they would like to come to the Tigers as well, as an older player it really fills your cup up knowing that you’re hopefully going to be a genuine contender again next year. It’s certainly an interesting time for our football club.
"Hopefully, we can sign and seal the two players".
The 755-goal Richmond great also listed the love of the game and the desire to win another premiership as reasons for not retiring.
"I love playing footy, first and foremost, that’s the thing that’s really important to me. I also think we’re a genuine chance and I still think I’ve got something to offer. That’s the other thing".
Richmond currently holds picks 12, 19, 30 and 84, the vast majority of which will require trading to secure Hopper and Taranto's signatures.
