It says a lot about Michael Rischitelli that others in line for the fill-in captaincy at the Gold Coast SUNS this week insisted he be first to do the job after coach Guy McKenna settled on a rotation policy among the vice-captains.
Tom Lynch, David Swallow and Dion Prestia, all 21 and not far beyond the 50-game mark, deferred to Rischitelli, a 28-year-old 172-gamer, to lead the side against the Western Bulldogs in Cairns on Saturday night in the absence of Gary Ablett.
It’s not just an age or experience thing. It’s about respect. And Rischitelli has it in trumps among his predominantly young and inexperienced teammates.
He’s done an extraordinary job to resurrect his career this year after a 2013 season in which he carried injuries that would have sidelined most, and has had a wonderfully consistent 2014 campaign filling a role which is at times not fully appreciated outside but it given appropriate credit inside the club.
While Rischitelli will be first to honour the badge of skipper, the 2010 Brisbane Lions Best & Fairest winner is confident his younger, less experienced co-vice-captains are capable of filling the leadership void left by the game’s best player.
“Our ambition all along has been to play finals footy, and that doesn’t change,” Rischitelli said.
“It’s extremely disappointing for him, but I’m really confident that the boys will do Gaz proud in his absence.”
Rischitelli will become the fourth player to captain the SUNS in their 82nd AFL game.
Ablett has skippered all 76 in which he has played, while inaugural vice-captain Nathan Bock (4) and inaugural deputy vice-captain Campbell Brown (1) have assumed the role when necessary.
Given McKenna’s declared intention to share the fill-in role through the four vice-captains for the reminder of the 2014 season, with Lynch, Swallow and Prestia to do the job in the coming weeks, it will mean the SUNS will most probably go from three captains in 81 games to seven captains in 85.
Confronting them is a significant hurdle which McKenna and his men need to overcome in Cairns on Saturday night to keep the push for a finals berth rolling along.
