Vintage Riewoldt and his phenomenal set of numbers

It’s not often that the final siren sounds and people are disappointed with a ten goal win. But when Nick Riewoldt falls one goal shy of reaching double figures – for the first time in his decorated career – there was a slight air of disappointment on Sunday afternoon. Although that didn’t last long. After all, he had just produced one of the most dominant performances of 2016 and one of the finest knocks of his career. The numbers are extraordinary. Nine goals, 21 marks – three off the all-time record – 26 possessions and 15 score involvements (Most in Round 23). Take a moment for those numbers to digest. At 34, Riewoldt appears like there is plenty more in the tank. Selflessly, he has played predominantly on a wing this season, moving forward at times, but allowing the next generation to develop. At Etihad Stadium, it was vintage Riewoldt.

Riewoldt has a day out at the Coventry End

After a quiet opening term, where Jack Lonie looked like the most damaging forward on the ground, Riewoldt ran amok in the second quarter. In the space of 30 minutes, the six-time Trevor Barker Award winner produced an effort that will be lodged in the memory bank for a long time to come. He was simply everywhere, hauling in an astonishing 11 marks, to go with three majors and 12 possessions. Such was his dominance that Justin Leppitsch was forced to move defensive general, Daniel Merrett, away from him and into the forward line. But by the final quarter, with another couple of goals on each of Harris Andrews and Matthew Hammelmann, Merrett was shifted back on to the champion forward. Another six marks and four goals ensued in the final 30 minutes, polishing off another stellar season by Riewoldt. By the final siren, Riewoldt had 12 marks inside 50 to his name – the same amount as Brisbane had for the day.

Saints on the march

From six wins in 2015 to 12 in 2016, the rise is clear for all to see. St Kilda is moving along an upward trajectory, despite narrowly missing out on featuring in September. Less than 10 per cent separated St Kilda from eighth placed North Melbourne, who face Adelaide in the first week of the finals. Football is a game of inches and blowout losses against the Crows at Adelaide Oval and against West Coast at Domain Stadium hurt the percentage gap. But the progress is blatant. St Kilda is on the march. For the first time since 2012, the Saints put a winning season in the bank, finishing at 12-10 – the same as five years ago. And after essentially being eliminated from the finals following the loss to Sydney in Round 21, to finish with two wins was all the more impressive. As Alan Richardson alluded to in his post-match press conference on Sunday night: Bring on 2017.

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Milestone man Armitage and Steven lead the way, again

For the countless time in his career, David Armitage led the way with his grunt in and around the ball. In his 150th game, the Queensland midfield weapon collected 30 possessions (15 contested), 10 marks, eight clearances, five rebound 50s and four inside 50s. He was the barometer around the ball, working in sync with Jack Steven, who also put his best foot forward on the final day of the season. The dual club champion finished with 31 possessions (15 contested), a game-high nine clearances – six from the centre square – and four inside 50s. If Thursday night’s Trevor Barker Award goes down to the wire, many of the favourites could poll well in Round 23. Young midfielders Seb Ross and Jack Newnes also had an influence, helping Steven and Armitage lead the Saints to a sizeable midfield victory.

White shows that the time was right

Brandon White didn’t have to wait long to touch his first piece of leather. The ball found him inside the opening minute, before he used his penetrating left foot to thump it down the line. Across his debut he looked comfortable at the highest level, demonstrating that he could have a long career in the game. By the final siren, with St Kilda’s 12th win of 2016 in the bag, White had 13 possessions to his name at a pristine 92.3 efficiency rate, along with five spoils in a bright start to his career. He wasn’t the only young player to demonstrate his prowess down back on Sunday. Second-year utility Daniel McKenzie looked good again across half-back. Like White, McKenzie’s left foot contains polish and penetration. In one of his best performances to date, the 20-year-old finished with 18 disposals at a stunning 100 per cent efficiency rate. His rise in the latter stages of 2016 adds more excitement to the progress of Jade Gresham and Blake Acres this season; two players who have earned Rising Star nominations this year.