ST KILDA captain Nick Riewoldt rejected the chance to cross to Collingwood at the end of 2013 in favour of creating a legacy at the club where he will retire as a legend.

Riewoldt sat down with Magpies president Eddie McGuire during the week of the Grand Final, where McGuire outlined Collingwood's interest in the champion forward.

"I didn't really know what was coming but he sort of threw it to me that there might be the potential to get to Collingwood," Riewoldt told Channel Nine's Footy Classified on Monday night.

The Magpies president offered Riewoldt the chance at a fresh start and the opportunity to play in a successful team as he entered the last years of his illustrious career.

"We had some discussions around that and what that would look like," he said.

"Certainly there was never a formal offer tabled to me or my management."

In the end, Riewoldt decided to remain a one-club player and work to secure the cultural development at St Kilda that has taken place during his career. 

Riewoldt admitted he was unsure about the Saints' direction after the club sacked coach Scott Watters and moved on experienced duo Nick Dal Santo and Ben McEvoy at the end of 2013.

"I had some questions about where we were going and those questions were answered really transparently," Riewoldt said.

"I think the decisions the club made on the back of that were really courageous ones to get rid of some players in the last few years who had been champions of the football club and bring in some youth."

With experienced pair Leigh Montagna and Lenny Hayes sidelined, the Saints' decision to back their young players to take the club to victory paid dividends against Melbourne on Saturday night.


"One thing you build up over a long period of time is a real trust amongst the guys that you play a lot of footy with," Riewoldt said.

"So that's the one thing that was missing to a certain extent. It was a chance for the young players to come in and earn the trust of the playing group.

"The way they acquitted themselves, they certainly did that."

Riewoldt continues to manage a degenerative knee problem that cuts his training load down, although he said it does not affect him on game day.

"It's sort of like a set of tyres – you've only got so much tread left and you're going to get to a point where it gives up," Riewoldt said.

"If it wasn't for my knee, the rest of my body feels great and it's just become something that I manage. 

"I can get there game day and do what I need to do for two hours, it's more the Monday to Friday stuff."