Saints great and St Kilda legend Nick Riewoldt has expressed his outrage after a comparison from his former teammate Luke Hodge went viral. Hodge said the current Saints outfit under Ross Lyon was unrecognisable to the one that finished 16th under Brett Ratten three seasons ago. A former captain-coach duo at St Kilda, Riewoldt and Lyon guided the club through one of its most successful recent periods. Riewoldt, now a media commentator and co-host of the podcast “The Agenda Setters,” quickly shot down Hodge’s proposal. He called it “complete crap.”
Riewoldt has been quite critical of the culture that was allowed to fester under Ratten’s leadership. He pointed out that it’s not a fair comparison to judge Ratten’s team against the most successful era of Lyon’s side. Ratten, who was sacked in 2022, was heavily criticised by Riewoldt for the St Kilda culture under his watch while at Moorabbin. The former captain noted the enormous changes to the roster since Ratten’s ousting. He pointed out that St Kilda has had 26 list changes in the last three years alone.
In a discussion on “The Agenda Setters,” Hodge indicated that Lyon’s current team bears similarities to Ratten’s side three years ago. As Riewoldt shot this idea down, Lyon and Ratten weren’t playing with the same lists. Looking at the list, he recalled how Lyon had one year’s grace with such a list, then faced strong pushback when making major shifts.
“Ross had the same list for one year and made finals, and then realised that that list could go no further, so what do you do in that situation? Do you stay stuck in quicksand, or do you cut, and cut really hard, and make 26 list changes over the last three years? Go from the fourth-oldest list profile to the fourth-youngest.” – Nick Riewoldt
Riewoldt lauded Lyon for the uplifting, supportive culture he is creating at the club. He cautioned that without such developments, St Kilda could face the peril of “sleeping its way into mediocrity.” In explaining how he came to support Lyon’s bold move, he wrote,
“And that’s the decision that they’ve made.”
The ex-player and coach seemed to have put the faith in the young talent coming through at St Kilda. Riewoldt highlighted young players such as Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera as evidence of the club’s capacity to achieve sustained success in the future with Lyon at the helm.
“And I think this all feeds into the (Nasiah) Wanganeen-Milera conversation; he would be aware of the young crew that’s coming through and the potential to be part of something for the long-term.” – Nick Riewoldt
When pressed on his relationship with Hodge, Riewoldt attempted to set the record straight on their friendship. He repeated what’s become a mantra – that they enjoy a genuinely respectful, collegial working relationship.
“Hodgey and I are fine, we work together and we’re decent mates.” – Nick Riewoldt
After their stint in administration, St Kilda are all about the long-term plan and rebuilding. This endeavor comes after a stormy time with many managerial shifts and new roster players. With a focus on youth development, Riewoldt believes that the Saints have two years to prove their vision to players contemplating their future with the club.
“And if it’s a two-year deal, the Saints have got two years to prove it to him.” – Nick Riewoldt
