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News.com.au
13-05-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
AFL 2025: Geelong star Tyson Stengle does not expect teammates to engage with Port Adelaide's Willie Rioli
Geelong star Tyson Stengle is backing his teammates to not sledge Port Adelaide forward Willie Rioli when the Cats and Power meet this Saturday. Rioli sat out Port Adelaide's narrow Showdown loss after he was found to have threatened several opponents across the past 12 months. One of those incidents occurred against Geelong when Rioli had a fiery encounter with Cat Brad Close last season. The interaction prompted an uncharacteristically aggravated response from laconic spearhead Jeremy Cameron. But Stengle doesn't expect any ill will between the two sides on Saturday and hopes to see Rioli back playing. 'I hope that he's out there, he's a great player, so hopefully he can get out there and play some good footy this week. It will be great to see him play,' Stengle said. 'I don't really know the situation … I don't think they will (engage with Rioli), I think they'll want him to be playing this week. 'He's one of their better players, so it would be great to see him out there.' Stengle's stance follows Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley last week expressing doubt any opposition players 'would go there' with Rioli. 'I would doubt anyone would go there with the stance the AFL has put in place around comments said on the field, I just don't think you would go there,' Hinkley said. 'Willie will get our support like he always has and Willie also has to learn. 'He knows that and he has publicly said that, he has to get better.' Geelong, which also narrowly lost at the weekend, could drift out of the top eight if it doesn't beat the Power.
News.com.au
09-05-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley says Willie Rioli ban has put players on notice over sledging
Port Adelaide Ken Hinkley says the AFL has issued a 'warning' and opposition players 'won't go there' when it comes to sledging Willie Rioli in the wake of his one-match ban for delivering on and off-field threats to three opponents in the past 12 months. Rioli withdrew from Saturday's showdown against the Adelaide Crows in the wake of an AFL investigation that landed on the ban having initially issued just a warning after revelations he sent a message to Western Bulldogs defender Bailey Dale warning him to be careful in Darwin this week. The AFL became aware of multiple instances involving the small forward who declared it was 'best for me and the team that I take the break'. Port chairman David Koch declared the club was 'incredibly angry' with Rioli but pointed to regular racial abuse as a base for his reactions. He could return for next week's clash with Geelong, confronting Cats star Brad Close, who was reportedly the victim of an on-field threat in 2024. With that in mind, Hinkley, who conceded Rioli had to 'get better' with his on-field behaviour and limited his involvement in the saga to 'giving care to Willie', cautioned against any opponents taking his player on given the fallout this week. 'I would doubt that anyone would go there with the stance the AFL has put in place around comments said on the field,' Hinkley said at his weekly press conference, which was moved to Friday as the club dealt with the Rioli situation. 'I just don't think you would go there. Willie will get our support like he always has and Willie also has to learn. He knows that and he has publicly said that, he has to get better.' Hinkley said he felt like the penalty was a 'warning' to players but also that he wasn't sure where the 'boundaries are' when it comes to player interactions. 'It's going to be some area of some concern for the AFL,' he said. Hinkley said he was fully supportive of the position having left the handling of the situation to his football boss, Chris Davies. 'I have been in this job for a long period of time and continually and do see and hear different things that get done and said,' he said. 'All I want to do is say I fully support our club's position, I couldn't support it any stronger.' Rioli was absent from Port's captain's run on Friday and Hinkley said the forward had to 'own the consequences' of his actions, and a potential return against Geelong was not at the forefront of his mind ahead of the clash with the Crows. 'From my point of view the most important thing is Willie is OK and he's under control,' he said. 'We will support him and put his arms around him. He made a mistake, he knows that and he owns that and the consequences are known to everyone, so we move forward knowing that we are going to look after Willie.'
