Saints retain Riewoldt as captain
February 08, 2012 16:55:42 UK
Nick Riewoldt is delighted to retain his spot as St Kilda captain.After being retained as St Kilda captain for the 2012 AFL season, Nick Riewoldt said that he is extremely overjoyed at being trusted for the honour once again.
Earlier today, new Saints coach Scott Watters made the announcement that after a long drawn-out process, it has been decided that Riewoldt will be the club skipper for the upcoming season too.
St Kilda are 34.00 to win the 2012 AFL Grand Final. Collingwood can be backed at odds of 6.50, while Geelong are available at 12.00.
Watters has decided not to appoint a vice-captain but the club's leadership group will have several names, including Nick Dal Santo, Leigh Montagna, Brendon Goddard, Sam Fisher, Adam Schneider, James Gwilt and Ben McEvoy.
Experienced player Lenny Hayes has not been named among the club's leaders due to his personal fitness problems, but he has been given a special 'leadership mentor' role for the support of Riewoldt.
After being retained for a fifth time, Riewoldt said that he has 'a great amount of respect for' the St Kilda captaincy, "But to be perfectly honest it's a position that I've never been so excited to hold given the current situation that the club finds itself in. I just think we're in a fantastic position at the moment to really attack the future that lies in front of us."
He continued: "Obviously we all would love to play and lead forever as is the case with all the guys up here but unfortunately that's not the case so there is going to be a very strong succession element to this leadership group and my role as captain."
"That's really what I see my role entailing, to build and develop the emerging leaders from the St Kilda Football Club to make sure that the legacy we leave as players is a strong one and one where the football club will be successful for many years to come."
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