By Jonty Ralphsmith
Berwick junior Riak Andrew shapes as a potential late selection in the AFL National Draft.
The brother of Gold Coast utility Mac, Riak is a raw 19-year-old defender whose athleticism and intercepting have caught the eye.
He has been linked to Essendon, Collingwood and GWS, all which are set to have selections in the latter stages of the draft.
After an injury-interrupted season last year, Andrew returned to the Stingrays in 2024 as a 19-year-old after training with VFL side Casey in preseason.
Two separate head knocks to start the season put his hopes of getting selected in the midseason draft on the back foot.
He finished the season strongly, shutting down Jack Whitlock, Harry Armstrong and Jobe Shanahan across the last month.
That trio are widely viewed as the three best key forwards in the draft class, with Andrew critically showing his defensive capabilities which had previously been questioned by scouts.
“The focus is positioning, not going body-on-body because a lot of these key forwards are stronger than me so it was honing-in on (playing) on the back shoulder so I can run and jump and spoil the ball,” Andrew said.
Insight from his big brother, who was taken by the Suns at pick five in the 2021 national draft and this year signed a record breaking contract extension until 2030, has given Riak an insight into how to handle life on an AFL list.
“What I’ve learned from him is the professionalism it takes to be an AFL footballer,” Andrew said.
“He’s had his problems in the first couple of years as an AFL footballer and he’s learned and matured from that.
“If you’re good enough, you’ll get there, but the hard work starts day one when you arrive at an AFL club, you can’t just get drafted and think you’ve made it.
“We’re fairly similar, both being fairly tall, skinny and athletic so I’ve just tried to model my game off him – sag off, not initiate body contact, run and jump and use my athleticism.
“He’s been huge for me just giving me tips about how to be an AFL footballer.
“He’s (told me) first impressions are everything so if I land on an AFL list, then I’ll try to earn the respect of senior players and showcase why this club picked me.”
Industry scuttlebutt suggests he is more likely than not to land on an AFL list, but he doesn’t have any clarity given the pool of prospects is considered to be deep and even at the back end.
But he opened up on the doubts that crept in after meniscus and quad injuries grounded him for the entire 2022 season and early part of 2023.
“With my knee and quad (injuries) I lost a little bit of speed and vertical leap which puts doubt in your mind,” Andrew said.
“When you play a bad game you go ‘what’s the outside world going to think?’.
“I lacked a bit of confidence going into games thinking ‘what if I injure my knee or quad again’?
“In the last couple of games of (2023) I got the confidence back.”
He had a purple patch during Dandenong’s last game of 2023, which solidified his position as an intercepting defender, having also played as a forward and ruck throughout the season.
If he does get taken, he would join brother Mac, Carlton’s Jaxon Binns, North Melbourne’s Miller Bergman and Richmond’s Judson Clarke as Berwick alumni on AFL lists.
In a similar vein to his brother’s rise to AFL vogue, Riak’s curiosity, sociability and calmness is at odds with what could lie ahead, with the youngster grateful for the platform Berwick provided.
“I’ve played for Berwick since under-10s and they’ve been huge for me, really supportive with what I’m going through at the moment,” Riak said.
“It’s a family club and a really good community.”
At a glance
Local club: Berwick
Position: Defender
Weapons: Intercepting, athleticism, read of play
DOB: 17-02-2005
Height: 192cm
2024 CTL games: 12
Draft range: Late
