In a year where the Gold Coast SUNS desperately needed a leader to stand up and help chaperone the young fleet of players, veteran midfielder Michael Rischitelli performed that duty with aplomb.
 
The 29-year-old stepped up in the absence of skipper Gary Ablett, to not only fill the void left by the dual Brownlow medallist, but also assist the next wave of leaders coming through – Tom Lynch and Steven May in particular.
 
Rischitelli played in all but one game in 2015, despite playing through injury concerns at different stages of the second half of the year. A blistering start to the season set his year up and saw him finish fifth in Friday night’s best and fairest count behind winner Lynch.
 
The former Brisbane Lion midfielder produced his best season since joining the SUNS ahead of the inception in 2011, following up a strong 2014, which saw him overcome two injury-plagued years.
 
Rischitelli averaged 22.4 possessions a game – the most he has averaged since 2011 – as well as leading Gold Coast for clearances (114), tackles (127) and inside 50s (81).
 
In a team littered with inexperience, Rodney Eade and the football department relied heavily on Rischitelli for on-field leadership and direction. And that is precisely what the elder statesmen delivered.
 
In the absence of Ablett, David Swallow and Dion Prestia, Rischitelli, along with Lynch and May, was critical for the SUNS. For a midfield to lose so much class, and so much talent, Rischitelli’s ability to galvanise a young group and help steer the ship was invaluable.
 
He got off to a flying start, polling votes in the first five rounds. His 35 possession effort against the Saints in round two was, along with Prestia, the only reason the SUNS weren’t truly embarrassed. The next week against Geelong he was even more influential against a Cats midfield led by triple premiership star Joel Selwood.
 
When Fremantle travelled to Metricon Stadium in round 11, most pundits and experts predicted an ugly result. Rischitelli’s performance in the midfield in the wet played a big reason in Gold Coast’s ability to stay with the ladder leaders right until the final siren.
 
After the bye, in Gold Coast’s best performance of the year against North Melbourne, Rischitelli played a commanding role through the middle of the ground, collecting 28 disposals and nine tackles to help lead the SUNS to an unlikely victory over last year’s preliminary finalists.
 
As Ablett and Swallow re-joined the exodus on the sidelines, the workload began to impact Rischitelli and his form suffered somewhat in the closing quarter of the year. It had to happen given the weight he had carried for the duration of the year, but that’s not to say his performances weren’t still important. They were still built around team-first football and allowed the likes Aaron Hall, Jesse Lonergan and Touk Miller to lead the way in the closing stages of the season.