Channel Seven AFL expert Nick Riewoldt adamant new wildcard round should not be considered part of finals

Nick Riewoldt believes the Sydney Swans, boosted by the massive off-season signing of Charlie Curnow, will storm back into the top eight this season, likely at the cost of last year’s minor premiers Adelaide.

The St Kilda legend and Seven AFL expert also told The Nightly his beloved Saints will finally deliver for fans after making similar big off-season moves and the AFL made the right move in bringing Melbourne into opening round — but he hates the idea of the new wildcard round being categorised as a final.

Riewoldt will be part of Seven’s Thursday night coverage and will also feature two nights a week on the hit panel show The Agenda Setters which will air three nights a week from Monday to Wednesday starting on Monday.

AFL SEASON OPENER: SWANS V BLUES 7PM THURSDAY AEDT SEVEN AND SEVEN PLUS

The legendary forward said preparing for the season as a media pundit was a new thrill after 17 seasons playing in the AFL.

“I’m excited. I used to get wound up in knots when the season was approaching, it was like you knew you were about to just kind of lose your life for the next seven months and just be locked in, but it’s a totally different feeling on the other side of it. It’s just pure excitement,” he said.

Riewoldt said Curnow following in the footsteps of full forwards Tony Lockett, Barry Hall and Buddy Franklin moving to Sydney from a Melbourne club was just one of several subplots which made Thursday night’s Swans-Blues season opener “so juicy”.

“It’s a tantalising storyline coming up against his old team and his old sparring partner in Jacob Weitering, who would probably line up on him. These guys must have spent so much time playing and training on each other, so that’s just such a great match-up to be able to watch,” the co-host on Triple M’s Mick in the Morning with Roo, Titus & Rosie said.

“Then there are the other guys, the forgotten members of that transaction in Florence and Hayward. Essentially, they weren’t wanted by the Swans. So, you don’t think they’ve got a chip on their shoulder and a point to prove? Plus you’ve got a couple of really exciting first-year players in Jagga Smith and Harry Dean. It shapes as a really entertaining contest regardless of the result.”

Carlton coach Michael Voss endured a horrid 2025 season and while the Blues have impressed in the preseason, if they falter early on he could be facing a similar narrative of his tenure being in jeopardy.

“We know how the cycle works, if they don’t start then the drums will start beating for any coach entering the situation that Michael finds himself in,” Riewoldt said.

“I love what Carlton did last year in backing Vossy and now with a change of list and a bit of a turnover it allows him to really get the best out of this group. I hope it bears fruit.”

Swans coach Dean Cox would be “licking his lips” now he had Curnow’s firepower up front, something the Swans had been missing for several years since Franklin retired in 2023, Riewoldt believes.

He also said for Curnow, being “off Broadway” in the Harbourside city could help him get back to his two-time Coleman Medal-winning best.

Seven’s flagship show, The Agenda Setters, has become a leader in defining the storylines of the AFL and would continue to break new ground this year, Riewoldt promised. He said he, Kane Cornes, Caroline Wilson and Craig Hutchison would keep exchanging their points of view in a forthright fashion and were more than happy to disagree with each other.

“On The Agenda Setters we have a really heavy focus on results, and the storylines out of the weekend,” he said.

“We aim to do what the show suggests, and that is set the agenda early on in the week and try and really drive the narratives that we think are the most important in the game.

“We rarely have all four of us agreeing on any one topic. I love it. It’s a lot of fun and pretty compelling viewing.”

Riewoldt will back up on Wednesday nights with Hutchison, 7NEWS AFL reporter Mitch Cleary and a rotating guest panellist.

“There was nothing on Wednesday, so it’s a real sweet spot within the week where there is still an element of review, but you get to sink your teeth into what’s about to happen the next day,” he said.

St Kilda’s new-look line-up led by Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera and Tom De Koning get their first chance to prove themselves against 2023 premiers Collingwood at Marvel Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

“I think the AFL listened to the fans who were pretty upset that they didn’t get to be a part of opening round,” Riewoldt said.

“I think the AFL have pulled a good lever there by having a game in Melbourne. I’m super excited St Kilda get to be a part of it. I think it’s really important for the club, they’re on Broadway now. They need to show up, and they need to perform really strongly. And I think they can win.

“It’s been a while since I think there was much to be excited about at St Kilda and culturally, I think they’re heading in a really strong direction.

“They’ve invested heavily in the off-season in bringing in some great players and retained Nasiah, which was absolutely critical. They’ve got a hard draw early on in the year, but I think they’re going to be really competitive.

“I’m certainly hopeful, but I think for the first time in a while, that hope feels like it might be rewarded with some on-field success.”

And while Riewoldt was happy the new rule changes would be adapted to by players and umpires, with some expected tweaks from AFL head office, the one thing he did not like about this season was the elevation of a knockout wildcard round between teams finishing seventh to 10th to determine the last two spots of the top eight.

“I don’t think it should be called a final,” he said.

“You can’t have a competition where more than half of the teams play finals and some are below average. I don’t like that for our competition.

“I like the idea of you’re on the bubble, you get an opportunity to play finals, and it comes down to a one-off game. I think let’s call it what it is. It’s a wildcard, not a finals spot.”

The Crows suffered an embarrassing straight-sets exit from last year’s finals series after losing Izak Rankin to a four-game suspension for making homophobic slurs late in the season and Riewoldt says they are unlikely to finish as high this year.

“I think the Swans and the Dogs will come in (to the eight) from missing the finals last year, I’d expect them both to be in contention,” he said.

“Adelaide had a great run last year, they weren’t missing too many guys. They’ve already had issues with Dan Curtin and some of the other guys so if I was forced to pick one, they’d be the one that I was probably most unsure of.”