Nick Riewoldt: The one big AFL change he hates about this season
nick riewoldt says he cannot stand the AFL’s decision to label the new wildcard round as a final, and he warned it reshapes September for teams and fans. The St Kilda legend, now an AFL expert working in the media, also flagged big offseason moves and fresh matchups that make the opener compelling. He will be part of Thursday night coverage and will feature on the panel show The Agenda Setters twice weekly as the season begins.
Nick Riewoldt reacts
Riewoldt spoke with clear frustration about one structural change to the finals format while expressing excitement about the start of the season. “I’m excited. I used to get wound up in knots when the season was approaching, it was like you knew you were about to just kind of lose your life for the next seven months and just be locked in, but it’s a totally different feeling on the other side of it. It’s just pure excitement, ” Nick Riewoldt, St Kilda legend and AFL expert, said.
On the wildcard, Riewoldt was blunt: he hates the idea of the new wildcard round being categorised as a final. He framed the change as a key move from competition headquarters that he cannot stand, signalling that traditional notions of September football will feel different this year.
Key developments: rule tweaks, trades and matchups
The AFL has introduced a set of on-field rule changes and a revised finals structure that will alter how teams approach both the regular season and September. For the first time since 2000 the finals system includes a wildcard round that places the ninth and 10th-placed teams in the September hunt, and the league has made adjustments such as removing the substitute from the bench, banning the bounce at ruck contests, tightening the stand rule, limiting rucks crossing the centre bounce line and enforcing last-touch out-of-bounds free kicks. Those decisions are intended to speed up play and reduce game length.
Riewoldt highlighted shifting personnel and blockbuster moves that feed into the new landscape. He singled out the massive off-season signing of Charlie Curnow and argued that move will help the Sydney Swans push back into the top eight. He called the Swans-versus-Carlton opener a “tantalising storyline, ” noting the old rivalries and matchups involved. Riewoldt also pointed to list changes that could lift clubs such as St Kilda, which made several notable recruitments and re-signings over the offseason.
On coaching and pressure, Riewoldt warned that poor starts have consequences. “We know how the cycle works, if they don’t start then the drums will start beating for any coach entering the situation that Michael finds himself in, ” he said, referencing the scrutiny surrounding a coach under renewed expectation following a difficult season.
What’s next
The immediate focus shifts to the season opener and how new rules and roster moves play out on the first matchday. Riewoldt will be visible in broadcast coverage for the opening round and will appear twice weekly on the panel show The Agenda Setters, which will air three nights a week from Monday to Wednesday, placing him at the centre of early-season debate.
As clubs adapt to the wildcard and the tightened in-game rules, the conversation Riewoldt has already started will intensify: whether the wildcard truly deserves the label of a final, and which teams will exploit the new structure to make September. Fans and decision-makers alike will be watching closely as nick riewoldt and others test the limits of the changes in the weeks ahead.
