Nick Riewoldt surprised the AFL world when he decided to move his life to America, but the St Kilda legend could soon be coming home.
The 41-year-old Riewoldt walked away from a blossoming television career in December 2022 to relocate to Texas, where his wife Catherine’s family are from.
He had been the subject of a bidding war between Fox Footy and Channel 7 for his services at the time of his departure.
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Following his highly successful 17-year career with the Saints, Riewoldt made a seamless transition into the media, becoming a mainstay on Foxtel’s footy and entertainment coverage.
He has been working in business development in the US, but in an announcement that will get TV executives salivating, Riewoldt has now revealed plans to return to Australia.
“(We’ve got) every intention of coming back,” he confirmed in a chat with SEN Radio.
“But that will play out over the next few months, what we decide to do.”
Riewoldt hasn’t been too far from the news over the last year, despite his relocation with his wife and three young boys.
He returned to TV screens shortly after his move when he accepted a surprise invitation from ESPN to join its Superbowl coverage in Arizona, drawing a mixed response as he interviewed Aussie NFL players Jordan Mailata and Arryn Siposs and joined the SportsCenter panel.
“It’s on another level, there’s a huge vibe, huge buzz in town,” he gushed on Triple M’s The Rush Hour with JB & Billy at the time.
“I might be the most excited person in Phoenix at the moment.”
Riewoldt accepted an invitation to attend this year’s AFL Hall of Fame ceremony in June, having been selected for inclusion in the prestigious club, but he decided not to make the trip back to Australia for it.
The AFL Commission said at the time he would be formally inducted in 2024.
Riewoldt also hit the headlines in July over a spat with former St Kilda coach Brett Ratten, after the former key forward slammed “sub-par” standards at the club under Ratten’s leadership and said they had improved under the returning Ross Lyon.
Ratten replied in kind, stating: “The only time (Riewoldt) came was for free physio, that’s the only time he was at the club, so I don’t know where he saw those standards.”
Now planning to return to his home country, Riewoldt conceded he had some work to do to convince the rest of his family.
“They’ve laid it on pretty thick, they’ve laid it on very, very thick,” Riewoldt said.
“Everyone’s integrated really well, the boys have played sport and fit in at school.
“They’re a bit of a novelty with the Australian accents. It’s been great.”
Reportedly working in the business world at a tech company, Riewoldt said he had missed being involved in footy.
“(It’s been) really great personally as well to be able to live and experience a real-life MBA, being involved in business and removed from footy for the first time since I was 17,” he said.
“I missed the footy season this year. It was a bizarre experience, not being just totally immersed in it for the first time since I was 17.”
Riewoldt also said his children had adopted baseball as their chosen sport and have become huge fans of MLB powerhouse, the Houston Astros.
“We had some season tickets this year, which was great because the boys got right into it,” he said. “They played baseball to start the trip over here, which was awesome.
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“They know all the players, they know the batting order, they know all the pitchers.
“They educate me because I’m still hanging onto the hope that they’ll keep a footy in their hands and a cricket bat.
“But I’m losing the battle at the moment.”
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