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'Behind the scenes': New details emerge in sad situation around Cyril Rioli
'Behind the scenes': New details emerge in sad situation around Cyril Rioli

Yahoo

time19-05-2025

  • Sport
  • Yahoo

'Behind the scenes': New details emerge in sad situation around Cyril Rioli

Days after Cyril Rioli and former teammate Luke Hodge were seen catching up during Hawthorn's game in Darwin there are claims the club's president is working overtime for a get-together with the Hawks great. The AFL community was extremely happy to see Hawthorn greats Hodge and Rioli share a brief encounter during last Thursday's game. Rioli declined an invitation to attend Hawthorn's training session on Wednesday in Darwin where he lives, and is still largely estranged from the club due to allegations of racism. But he did make a surprise appearance at the game on Thursday night between the Suns and Hawks. Rioli was spotted in the crowd with wife Shannyn, who were there to watch Rioli's cousins Daniel Rioli and Ben Long. The 2015 Norm Smith medallist was spotted clapping when Gold Coast scored a goal, and wasn't wearing any Hawthorn gear. A chat with Hodge delighted the AFL community after the former Hawks captain recently revealed he hadn't been able to contact Rioli for a number of years. And following the good news that surrounded their meeting, AFL reporter Tom Morris claimed Hawthorn president Andy Gowers is working behind the scenes to bring some of the former players together after recent events. "There was some great vision the other night of Cyril Rioli, the the four-time premiership champion catching up with his old captain and teammate Luke Hodge," Morris said on Channel 9's Footy Furnace. "There is some positivity that has evolved over the last few weeks regarding Hawthorn and Cyril Rioli. I am not saying that a reunion is imminent. "What I am saying, is there is work being done behind the scenes that has people quite positive that there could be some sort of get-together between Rioli and the club at some stage in the not to distance future." Hawthorn president Andy Gowers has been working exceptionally hard to bring everyone - including Cyril Rioli - back to the club. Still a way to go, but there is cautious optimism things are moving in the right direction. @9NewsMelb — Tom Morris (@tommorris32) May 18, 2025 Speaking to Channel 7 after catching up with Rioli, Hodge was thrilled to have seen his former teammate and admitted it had been a while since the pair got together. "I hadn't seen him since about 2018," Hodge told Channel 7. "I saw Mark Evans (Gold Coast SEO) talking to him so I just wanted to go over and say g'day. It was good. He's looking great and had a smile on his face. He said his cousin was flying out there running across the halfback line. It was great to see him and Shannyn over there." This is quite the development considering Hodge had previously mentioned he'd tried multiple times to get into contact with Rioli to no avail. It came after Rioli chose not to attend Hawthorn's centenary celebrations at the MCG. Rioli was one of a number of people who levelled allegations of racism against the club, which resulted in an out-of-court settlement last year. There was no determination of fault, but Hawthorn issued an apology. Rioli still hasn't been back at the club properly, but his attendance at Thursday night's game marked an important step in many people's eyes. Former teammate Jordan Lewis said on Fox Footy: 'Geez he was a good player. If you ever saw Cyril one out on the wing, you would just kick it in his direction. We would love to have seen a lot more of him." Fellow premiership teammate Shaun Burgoyne said: 'It is a great thing Cyril being back at the footy. As a Hawthorn great, Hawthorn people love seeing him involved. 'Getting back to the footy is the first step for him. We'll get him to enjoy watching Hawthorn play again. I'm not sure if it is on behalf of Hawthorn that he is here or if it is on his own accord ... but the fans still love him and it is good to see him back here watching the footy.'

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