- Jack Riewoldt’s cousin died in 2015 from aplastic anemia
- It is a rare bone marrow failure syndrome, she was only 26 years old.
- His death shocked the Riewoldt family and also brought them closer.
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AFL great Jack Riewoldt has revealed how his cousin’s death from a rare blood disease shook him to the core before offering insight into life – and what he really thinks about rival football fans.
Riewoldt, 35, retired last season after a decorated career that included three premierships with Richmond.
The key forward made his debut for the Tigers in 2007, scoring 787 goals in 347 appearances.
Aware that he lived a blessed life as an AFL star, the death of his cousin Maddie in 2015, when she lost a five-year battle with aplastic anemia, a rare bone marrow failure syndrome, provided him with instant perspective.
‘Without a doubt, it was the most life-changing experience for me. The overall change has been significant and really powerful,” he said. Richmond Media a couple of years after his death.
AFL great Jack Riewoldt has revealed how his cousin’s death from a rare blood disease shook him to the core and what he really thinks about football fans.
Jack Riewoldt’s cousin Maddie died aged just 26 in 2015 due to aplastic anemia, a rare bone marrow failure syndrome (she is pictured with another cousin, fellow AFL star Nick Riewoldt).
The key forward spent his entire career at Richmond, winning three premierships (pictured in 2019).
‘I changed a lot of things about myself after Maddie passed away. I didn’t have a great desire to do it; it just happened naturally.’
Riewoldt recently said Sarah Grynberg on her Life of Greatness podcast Maddie’s death at just 26 years old was a brutal moment for her family, who became more united after the tragedy.
It follows Riewoldt becoming a platelet donor as a personal tribute to his cousin.
“(In Richmond) in 2017, we did this exercise called ‘hero, hardships and highlights,'” he recalled.
‘He was one of the catalysts for the revolution in Richmond and the success we enjoyed.
‘We talk about heroes in our lives, we talk about difficulties… mine was Madeleine’s death… eventually. I was also waiting for my climax (prime minister) to come.
‘(In terms of being a donor) you’re sitting there and it’s four hours… in the grand scheme of things, it’s not a lot of time, but to be sitting there and being in a really clinical place like a hospital. you think about many things and see many things that change your thinking patterns.
“It was a thought-provoking moment, sitting there and asking (to myself) am I doing a good job?”
After retiring last season, Hobart-born Riewoldt backs the Tasmanian Devils franchise, which will enter the AFL competition in 2028.
The Tigers legend, who heads up Tasmania’s AFL franchise after growing up in Hobart, expressed his bewilderment at some over-enthusiastic football fans.
‘I really struggled (from the beginning) because people didn’t like me… but (at the same time) without knowing you. That was the hardest thing for me,” he told Grynberg.
“To this day, there are probably people who hate me and other players simply for the fact that they wear different (club) colors, which is mind-blowing.
‘I’ve also done things that have probably caused division among people. Sometimes I’ve been quite vocal about certain things, but some people don’t like me because I show passion and I showed passion on the football field.
‘(Over the years) I have matured and learned to restrain myself… and also not to overreact to minor things.
“Life experiences have helped… and the emotion is not just anger, it can be a lot of things.”