Having played 111 games for the Lions over seven seasons, Rischitelli is moving down the Pacific Motorway to line-up with Queensland’s second AFL club.
“We were hoping we might be able to emerge unscathed,” Lions chief executive Michael Bowers said. “You hope it doesn’t happen, but unfortunately it has happened.”
The Lions have received a draft pick at the end of the first round as compensation for losing the 24-year-old, although Bowers said the club would rather have kept its emerging star.
“He’s had a fantastic season, so we did everything we could in the hope he would remain a Lion. Sadly that didn’t happen,” he added.
Bowers admitted his club was unable to match the offer put to Rischitelli by the Suns.
“There’s a bundle of things [the new clubs] have at their disposal - rules, regulations, the ability to attract uncontracted players outside the draft, as well as a war chest,” Bowers said.
“That’s very, very difficult, and ultimately for us impossible, to compete with.”
However, Bowers doesn’t believe Rischitelli quit the Lions because he was still disenchanted at having been put up for trade - as part of the Brendan Fevola deal - late last year.
“If you actually look at what happened this year, he played fantastic football. He was a fantastic clubman,” Bowers said.
“He certainly didn’t give the look of someone who was disgruntled. You couldn’t fault him.”
In an interesting twist, Rischitelli is one of the favourites to take home the Lions’ best-and-fairest award when the count is held on Thursday night.
Yet Bowers is adamant the Lions’ supporters should react positively if he does win the award.
“I don’t think there’s ever a good time for these sorts of announcements, but we respect the new footy club and we respect Michael,” he said.
“I think it’s good to know. Any information like this, you’d like to know sooner rather than later.”
Although the Suns and Lions are expected to be fierce rivals in years to come, Bowers praised his counterpart at the Gold Coast, Travis Auld, who phoned him to reveal Rischitelli was on the move.
“It was kind of him to extend that courtesy,” Bowers said. “And Risca rang Vossy [Lions coach Michael Voss]. That was a good thing to do as well, so I think they’ve done it well.”
On the positive side, Bowers announced Jed Adcock, Todd Banfield and James Hawksley have agreed to new deals with the Lions.
But veterans Simon Black and Luke Power are yet to commit.
“If you look at the careers of Simon and Luke, they’ve been fantastic players for the club,” Bowers said.
“We fervently believe that they’ll finish their careers at the club.”
