Gold Coast Suns player Michael Rischitelli says he has no regrets from his 16-year AFL career

Retiring Suns player Michael Rischitelli says he has no regrets from a career that didn’t include an elusive premiership and still considers himself one of the lucky ones.

RETIRING Suns player Michael Rischitelli says he has no regrets from a career that didn’t include an elusive premiership and still considers himself one of the lucky ones.

Team success and flags may not play a huge part in his stunning 243 game AFL career - that has spanned over 16 years - but he will leave the game satisfied because of the longevity of it and the influence he has had on the game in Queensland.

The 33-year-old arrived at the end of Brisbane’s triple premiership era and hoped his move to Gold Coast at the end of 2010 would provide a second chance at winning a premiership but it wasn’t meant to be.

Brisbane’s 2009 semi-final loss to the Western Bulldogs the closest he has come to winning the premiership that eluded him.

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“I don’t like to use that (term). I don’t have any regrets at all any decisions I have made,” Rischitelli said.

“I consider myself one of the lucky ones. There are so many guys in my position and when you get picked up you just want to play one game.

“For me playing 240-plus (games) and been involved in two great clubs, that is all I can ask for.”

Rischitelli, who was put on to the rookie list at the end of 2018, said he started to realise his career was coming to an end last year and believed he had no more to give.

“It’s been on the back of my mind for probably the last year but more so the last few months,” Rischitelli said.

Michael Rischitelli poses with wife Jo and children Lia and Kai after announcing his retirement during a Gold Coast Suns AFL press conference on August 20, 2019 in Gold Coast, Australia. (Photo by Chris Hyde/AFL Photos/via Getty Images)

“It’s just taken toll, I’ve loved every bit of it. The training and competing.

“That is how you form all these close relationships when you are in a footy club.

“It’s how you respond and how you act when you get into these difficult situations and that is what has driven me all through my footy career is my family and my teammates.

“I felt it was the right time for me and my family.

“My body has gone through a lot and mentally I’m pretty drained, to be honest.

“I feel like I have given everything. I never wanted to be one to just hang in there for one more year when there are other guys coming through who can take charge and not be in the way of someone else.

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“It will give someone else another opportunity to take charge and actually get this club to where it needs to be.”

Rischitelli said he wanted to be remembered “as someone who has given his all and never wanted to let teammates down.”

The Victorian-born footballer was selected by Brisbane with pick 61 of the 2003 and managed just four senior games in his first two seasons at the Lions, learning from some of the greatest players of the modern era.

Michael Rischitelli poses with wife Jo and children Lia and Kai with the Suns team after announcing his retirement during a Gold Coast Suns AFL press conference on August 20, 2019 in Gold Coast, Australia. (Photo by Chris Hyde/AFL Photos/via Getty Images)

“I was pretty lucky when I first started at the Lions. I was surrounded by what was what you could probably argue was the best team in the league since AFL was pretty much started,” Rischitelli said.

“It took me a few years, I wasn’t ready and I knew that. I made sure I took it with both hands and I did what I needed to do and it get me where I am today and a lot of that was because of the players I was surrounded by.”

Rischitelli said former Brisbane teammate Nigel Lappin had been one of his biggest influences, particularly early in his career.

Michael Rischitelli speaks to media after announcing his retirement during a Gold Coast Suns AFL press conference on August 20, 2019 in Gold Coast, Australia. (Photo by Chris Hyde/AFL Photos/via Getty Images)

“He got me through the early days where you second guess yourself, do you belong? I’m forever grateful for Lappin for helping me out,” Rischitelli said.

“I still remember the first time I walked into the club (Brisbane). You are 17 and watching the game at home and then all of a sudden a couple of weeks later you walk into an AFL club and the first person you see is Vossy (Michael Voss) and then Browny (Jonathan Brown) rolls in and then there is the Scott boys and Lappo and Blacky (Simon Black).

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“Right from the get go I was blessed to be around the superstars and guys who were incredible people with character and work ethic. It gave me a great start.”

Rischitelli’s AFL debut against Adelaide in Round 17 of the 2004 season still stands as a clear highlight and one of Queensland football’s greatest stewards has been an eager observer of the game’s growth in the state ever since.

“You just see a lot more kids kicking the ball in the park as opposed to having just soccer or rugby balls,” Rischitelli said.

“The signs are good and it’s good the Lions are showing the way as well for Queensland footy.

“I have no doubt we will be up there, hopefully in the next few years.

“I can see it continually growing which is good for Queensland, it’s what it needs.”