AFL news 2025: Ken Hinkley warns opposition players against sledging Willie Rioli

Willie Rioli will sit out the Showdown this week. But when he does return to football, his coach Ken Hinkley has issued a warning to opposition players.

Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley has warned it will be dangerous for opposition players to sledge Willie Rioli for a competitive advantage when he returns to footy following the “stance the AFL has put in place around comments said on the field”.

Hinkley also said the AFL’s push to be informed of every incident, on and off the field, is “going to be some area of concern” for the league going forward.

Rioli was issued with a one-match ban from the AFL for Saturday’s Showdown, after he himself had withdrawn from the game as he felt “it was best for me and the team that I take the break”.

Ken Hinkley speaks to Willie Rioli. Picture: Getty Images

The ban came after revelations of threats from Rioli to opposition players in two games, following it was revealed he sent a Western Bulldogs player a text message threatening teammate Bailey Dale after Saturday’s clash in Ballarat.

Rioli has conceded that he says “things from time to time on the footy field in the heat of the moment that I wish I didn’t and I’m continuing to work with the club on managing this moving forward”.

It is hoped Rioli can return for the Power next week against Geelong and Hinkley was emphatic on whether there was any risk opposing players would seek to play on Rioli’s emotions when is back on the footy field.

“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.

“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.”

When asked if that was a warning, Hinkley said: “Would you take it as a warning? … I agree. I am just not sure where the boundaries are any more with that sort of stuff.”

The Power senior coach was also asked if the AFL was going down a tricky path by wanting clubs to report every incident on and off the field.

“I think you are asking the questions based on you have some concerns around that and I think that is reasonable around what has happened and has played out now,” he said.

“I think it is going to be some area of concern I would have thought for the AFL.”

Rioli at training on Wednesday. Picture: Tim Joy

After the AFL’s ban was announced, the Power issued a strongly worded statement saying “it believes the AFL industry can do more to seek to understand the daily challenges that our First Nations and Multicultural players and staff live with on a daily basis”.

“Willie, like many of our First Nations and Multicultural players, has endured racist abuse both directly and casually throughout his career – not as exceptional incidents, but as a persistent, ongoing reality,” the club said.

“On field comments that may not seem racial on the surface, can be interpreted as racist to a First Nations or multicultural person who has endured systematic racist comments since they were young enough to recall.”

Hinkley said he was fully supportive of the position.

“I have been in this job for a long period of time and continually and do see different things that get done and said,” he said.

“I fully support our club’s position, I couldn’t support it any stronger.”

While he trained on Wednesday, Rioli was not at the Power’s captains run on Friday.

Power footy boss Chris Davies said on Thursday he was hopeful Rioli could be available for next week’s clash against the Cats.

Hinkley said he was not focusing on that now.

“From my point of view the most important thing is Willie is OK,” 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.”