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St Kilda captain Nick Riewoldt was looking for the instruction manual on Saturday night to help his players deal with the “bizarre” situation of a drawn grand final and having to front up again next week.
It’s the first drawn VFL/AFL grand final since 1977 when Collingwood were also involved, going down to North Melbourne in the replay the following week.
Riewoldt, who kicked two goals on Saturday against Collingwood, says the Saints need simply to re-focus in the coming week.
“It’s bizarre, to be honest – it’s a very unique situation,” he said.
“None of us really have the manual on what to do in this situation, so pretty much now we just get back to our preparation.
“Every game of footy is a mental challenge. It’s a mental challenge to get up the first time, and it’s going to be a mental challenge next week as well.”
The Saints had found themselves 24 points down at halftime but outscored the Magpies 6.6 to 2.6 in the second half, hitting the front late in the game before holding on for a draw 10.8 (68) to Collingwood’s 9.14 (68).
“We really just willed ourselves into the contest in the second half, but clearly there are things to learn from the first half,” Riewoldt said.
“We didn’t string four quarters together so that’s what we’ll be aiming to do next week.
“We’re never out of the contest, no matter what the situation, and that’s a trait that we’ve built up over a few years.
“We never give up, and we didn’t give up today.”
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