Sam Mitchell goes public with sad new revelation about former Hawthorn teammate
Hawthorn coach Sam Mitchell says he didn't catch up with Cyril Rioli in Darwin recently and has had very little contact with his estranged former teammate. The pair won four AFL premierships together at Hawthorn but Rioli has distanced himself from the club and many of his former teammates after making racism allegations surrounding his time at the Hawks.
The 35-year-old was conspicuously absent for Hawthorn's centenary celebrations at the MCG in May, despite dozens of his former teammates taking part. However, there were signs that Rioli was ready to start mending bridges with his former club after being spotted catching up with Hawthorn legend Luke Hodge before the Hawks' round 10 clash with the Suns in Darwin three weeks ago.
Rioli lives in Darwin but declined an invitation to attend Hawthorn's training session before the game against Gold Coast. However, his surprise appearance at the round 10 fixture between the Suns and Hawks left the AFL community pleased to see Rioli associating with Hawthorn again.
One man that didn't get the chance to catch up with Rioli though is Hawthorn coach Mitchell, who says the former Norm Smith Medallist will always be welcome back at the club that he achieved so much at. Speaking on Seven's The Agenda Setters, Mitchell acknowledged that it was a 'complicated' situation for Rioli says he's ready to catch up whenever his former teammate feels ready.
"I didn't run into him in Darwin and I haven't reached out to him of that close a nature," Mitchell said. "He knows that he would be welcome back at Hawthorn if he wants to but it's obviously a complicated part of his life and whether he wants to come back.
"If he does that would be great but like every club there are players that absolutely bleed the colours for the rest of their lives and there are players that maybe aren't that happy with things that happened at a club. And (with) Cyril, I'm always willing to chat if he wants to."
"He (Cyril) knows that he would be welcome back at Hawthorn if he ever wants to."🗣️ Sam Mitchell on Cyril Rioli pic.twitter.com/Pd6Bb6cDGC
— 7AFL (@7AFL) June 3, 2025
Rioli's recent catch-up with Hodge delighted the AFL community after the former Hawks captain revealed he hadn't been able to contact Rioli for a number of years. And it prompted moves from Hawthorn president Andy Gowers behind the scenes to bring some of the former players together after recent events.
In November last year, Hawthorn settled a federal court case with past First Nations players and their families, and issued an apology. Rioli was among a group of players who alleged they were racially vilified during their time at the club, and the case was settled without a determination of any of the parties' allegations.
And Rioli's no-show at Hawthorn's centenary celebrations last month suggested he's ready to return to his former club. A number of Hawthorn Hawks and premiership winners paraded the club's 13 cups on the ground before the big round eight win over Richmond but Rioli was nowhere to be seen.
"When you go through so much with a lot of guys, you want to see all their faces," Hodge said at the time. "We understand that Hawthorn and Cyril haven't come to the stage where Cyril feels comfortable back in the football club just yet. But time heals all wounds and we're hoping it gets to that stage with Cyril."
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