jack riewoldt and ben cousins show

Jack Riewoldt and Ben Cousins show
Michael Horan From: Herald Sun September 02, 2010 12:18AM

RICHMOND forward Jack Riewoldt collected his second medal in five days when he was awarded Richmond's best-and-fairest on Wednesday night.

Riewoldt, 21, pipped his captain Chris Newman by six votes, with 210, to claim his first Jack Dyer medal.

Brett Deledio, aiming for a third win in a row, was third with 193 votes.

Riewoldt, who won the Coleman Medal as the AFL's leading goalkicker (78 goals), hit the front in the vote count in Round 9 and stayed there until overhauled by Newman in Round 19.

But a seven-goal haul against his cousin Nick's St Kilda team in Round 21 put the Tasmanian back in front.

"It's very unexpected, I'm a little bit lost for words," Riewoldt said. "We've started to build something big here. We've taken baby steps this year and we're (going) on to something big."

Emerging star Dustin Martin (159), seasoned midfielder Shane Tuck (153) and Shane Edwards (151) finished fourth, fifth and sixth, respectively.

Riewoldt's win had the approval of all in the Crown ballroom, but the biggest cheers of the night came whenever Ben Cousins polled a vote.

Cousins maintained a low profile during the night, declining to comment on the plight of the Hawks' Travis Tuck - brother of teammate Shane - and Tuck's 12-match suspension.

But Cousins did thank the Tiger coaches and their fans.

"The last couple of weeks have been a big build-up to my retirement and I want to take this opportunity to thank dearly the Richmond Football club," he said.

"To Dimma (coach Damien Hardwick), I've loved playing for you, I'm staggered how much I've been able to learn in such a short period of time, you really taught me about where the game was headed.

"I think you brought back some real belief and hope for this footy club."

Cousins also singled out assistant coach Wayne Campbell for becoming his confidante through the two years and the playing group itself.

"They're a great bunch of blokes and it's been an absolute privilege to be a member of this team," he said. "I love this group and I'm forever indebted to them for letting me be part of it.

"Last, but certainly not least, I thank the Richmond faithful, who took me in as one of their own."

Click here to watch the video of the red carpet arrival at Richmond's best-and-fairest awards.


Tigers best-and-fairest

1 Jack Riewoldt 210
2 Chris Newman 204
3 Brett Deledio 193
4 Dustin Martin 159
5 Shane Tuck 153
6 Shane Edwards 151
7 Trent Cotchin 131
8 Kelvin Moore 123
9 Jake King 117
10 Daniel Jackson 114
11 Simon Bowman
12 Jeremy Ferguson