‘Selection One: St Kilda Football Club.’

‘Player No. 5483 Nick Riewoldt, Southport.’

It’s a phrase that has significantly impacted the St Kilda Football Club, but may never have happened had Nick’s parents, Fiona and Joe, relocated slightly closer to Brisbane when they moved from Tasmania to Queensland in 1991.

Had the six-time Trevor Barker Award winner resided just a little further south, he would have been secured by the Brisbane Lions as a zone access selection and he would not be Queensland’s first and only No. 1 draft pick.

It’s just one of the many quirks in our great game and one that across the last 15 seasons has seen a tremendously gifted athlete develop into a champion; into the best mobile centre-half forward the game has ever laid eyes on; and into one of the Saints’ best players in their 143-year history.

Esteemed recruiter John Beveridge has ushered many young men into the red, white and black faithful over decades of service at St Kilda. But the reality Riewoldt could have carved out a career at the Gabba is something he still chuckles about.

“The fact with Nick is if he had of lived 50km closer to Brisbane, he was living on the Gold Coast then, Brisbane could have picked him as a zone player so we were certainly lucky in that regard,” Beveridge told saints.com.au in the lead up to Riewoldt’s 300th game.

Beveridge first spotted Riewoldt during the 1999 Under 18 National Championships where he was representing Queensland in Division Two.

 

In a time where most clubs had only one full-time recruiter, didn’t have access to mountains of vision, statistical analysis on every part of the game, GPS readings, psycho-analysis material, sufficient medical examinations and enough time and resources to adequately interview each potential recruit, Beveridge had to back what he saw with his own eyes first and foremost. And what he saw, he loved.

Before long, he knew the tall key position prospect, with the bright blonde hair and the ability to cover the ground like a midfielder, was his man. It was just a matter of whether the Saints would take him with pick No. 1 or No. 2 as they possessed the first two selections in the 2000 National Draft and also loved the look and movement of another key position prospect in Justin Koschitzke.

“I first saw him play for Queensland in the TEAL Cup in 1999 when he wasn’t eligible for the draft. He did his hamstring down in Geelong and didn’t play the full carnival but he showed a bit,” Beveridge said.

“There wasn’t a lot of vision in those days, we were still using VHS, there weren’t DVDs and all that sort of stuff on computer – certainly there was no Champion Data and there was no week-to-week vision that we get now days.

“Recruiting was a bit different in those days, there wasn’t a lot of interviews because of the way it was. There were a lot of ducks and drakes played in those days. Now everyone interviews everyone.

“But back then it was all about getting to know the people that knew him - his coach at Southport Jason Cotter, and Mark Brownie who was the Queensland Talent Manager.

“We saw him at the Draft Camp in 2000. He was a tall and skinny lad and tested very well, even though he had an October birthday so he was young and hadn’t even turned 18 at the time. So after all of that, it was cut and dry that we were going to take Nick and ‘Kosi’ with the first two picks.”

A lot of things have changed in recruiting in the 15 years since Riewoldt first arrived at Moorabbin, but one thing that still holds a mountain of weight is character. A recruit with a strong work ethic and good principles will always trump someone with more talent but poor character traits.

For Beveridge, the 17-year-old Riewoldt was carved from the right stuff. First and foremost, he came from a great family who had a strong grounding. Secondly, he had an insatiable thirst for hard work, a quality that has blatantly led him to where he stands today.

“Every box was ticked character wise so you knew that he was a very good young fellow and would put his nose to the wheel most likely, but you can’t ever predict that someone will put their nose to the wheel like he has and train the way he has,” Beveridge said.

“I think it’s an opinion you glean from other people before you get to know him better at places like the Draft Camp – where he tested very well for a tall lad.

“The family were always strong characters; we got to know the family well with Joe and Fiona, brother Alex and sister Maddie – terrific people, just such a great family.”

Despite possessing myriad criteria that point towards success and longevity in football, Beveridge says there is no way, regardless of the person, of fully knowing how great they will be. Although, those who have the right mettle and right physical attributes are well on the way to a successful career.

“You knew that he was an outstanding young man but you couldn’t predict he was going to show the leadership that he has shown,” Beveridge quipped.

“You couldn’t predict that he was going on to win six best and fairests and become the leader he has become.

“What you did know was he was aerobically good and you knew that he was very athletic, but you couldn’t predict all that because he hadn’t played in the mainstream of footy (in football dominant states).

“But when kids are kids you’re just rating their natural ability and he certainly had that in spades. I think after the championships it was pretty cut and dry that we would take him.”

You may never know, as Beveridge concedes, but we do know now. We know very well.