- Was doing media commitments
- Fan tried to replicate classic Grand Final moment
- Did not go to planned for the supporter
Turns out Nick Riewoldt is still stinging pretty hard from the 2010 AFL Grand Final replay that St Kilda lost to Collingwood.
The Saints had their best chances to snap their premiership drought dating back to 1966 in dominant seasons across 2009 and 2010.
However they lost the 2009 decider to Geelong, drew the first Grand Final in 2010 and were ultimately out of legs when they were blasted off the park in the replay that same year.
Riewoldt is regarded as one of the greatest players to never win an AFL premiership, and one fan decided to remind him of that – much to the former St Kilda captain’s disgust.
Riewoldt was carrying out his media commitments at an AFL match when a pair of pranksters decided to replicate one of the moments of the 2010 Grand Final replay.
In that match, Nick Riewoldt looked certain to kick St Kilda’s first goal.
Nick Riewoldt lashed out after a footy fan tried to grab him during his media commitments for Channel 7
The supporter was trying to replicate the moment Heath Shaw smothered what looked like a certain Riewoldt goal in the 2010 Grand Final replay
But Collingwood’s Heath Shaw produced one of the game’s most iconic defensive efforts, lunging from behind to smother the shot.
Commentator Anthony Hudson captured it perfectly, declaring Shaw ‘came up behind him like a librarian.’
The smother became a symbol of Collingwood’s intensity as they went on to dominate the match.
So the pair of fans decided to ambush Riewoldt while he was in front of the camera, reminding him of that moment.
One fan snuck up on Riewoldt before giving him a big, arms-wrapped-around hug, while the other chanted ‘Heath Shaw, Heath Shaw, Heath Shaw, he’s come up on him like a librarian!’.
Riewoldt did not share the humour of the moment, throwing the fan off him and spinning around with a disgusted look, shaping to start throwing punches.
It was obviously a moment in AFL history that Riewoldt would rather forget, least of all be reminded of by an overly-physical fan during a media commitment.
Viewers said the ‘obnoxious’ fan was lucky that Riewoldt didn’t lay him out there and then.
Riewoldt has become a popular member of the Channel 7 commentary team since his retirement from the sport
‘You can’t just go touch someone like that, fair reaction,’ one posted.
‘Lucky for you he didn’t deck you,’ added another.
Another posted: ‘Still a sore point clearly’.
Seven Director of Sport Chris Jones warned against other fans trying to grab or touch their team while they were on the job.
‘I’s important our team feels safe in those environments,’ he said.
‘We greatly value connecting with fans, but any physical contact that makes our team feel unsafe in their work environment, isn’t appropriate.
‘Nick’s response to the physical contact was a natural, human reaction aimed at protecting those around him.
‘We do not condone violence in any form, and ensuring the safety of everyone present is our priority.
‘We thank the tens of thousands of fans who welcomed our team and acted respectfully, helping make Seven’s Adelaide Crows v Collingwood match the highest rated AFL game of the 2025 season, so far.’
