After announcing at the end of 2022 that he was pausing his media career and heading to Texas for a year, Nick Riewoldt could be back on Australian soil in time for AFL finals season.
The Herald Sun is reporting that Channel Seven is working to get Riewoldt on board for a panel show to coincide with the AFL finals. According to one source, however, whether he’ll leave the United States and make his way back to Australia is “still very much 50 / 50.”
When he left at the back end of last year after his contract expired, Riewoldt was a major part of Fox Footy’s coverage. The 336-game player and former St Kilda captain was working as a game day panel expert and regular on Fox Footy’s entertainment shows including Monday night program On The Couch, Saturday night’s Best On Ground, and was frequently a part of AFL 360.
He also worked with Triple M, filling in for Wayne Carey on air last year.
He hasn’t entirely disappeared from the Australian media scene, however, working as a rotating host on LiSTNR’s Footy Talk – Daily Australian Rules Podcast from his Texas home.
On top of his AFL work, he made an appearance on ESPN in February, assisting with coverage of Super Bowl LVII.
This is not the first time that Channel Seven has made a play to get Nick Riewoldt on board, having reportedly been offered a deal that would have seen him join the network’s football commentary team, as well as take on a lifestyle show. Whilst lifestyle may not seem like the obvious fit for a former footy star, Riewoldt has previously competed on Celebrity MasterChef Australia, and clearly enjoyed the format.
He was also very good at it, winning the season ahead of Tilly Ramsay and Collette Dinnigan, taking home $100,000 and the top prize for his charity, Maddie Riewoldt’s Vision.