By Jake Niall and Scott Spits
Beloved former Hawthorn star Cyril Rioli has told the AFL he will attend the Indigenous All Stars game in Perth this weekend, in what would be a rare public appearance by the four-time premiership hero.
Western Bulldogs star Jamarra Ugle-Hagan will also be at the All Stars game and declared on Thursday he hoped to return to Dogs training next week after an extended period away from the club to deal with personal issues.
Cyril Rioli and his wife, Shannyn Ah Sam-Rioli.
Ugle-Hagan was keen to be in the company of his Indigenous peers, in what is a small step back towards returning to the Bulldogs, although there is no timeline for when he will be ready to play.
“Right now I’m just going to take it day by day, obviously enjoy this trip .... just have fun. See what happens. And hopefully I’m back training on Monday,” Ugle-Hagan told Seven News before flying out.
The former No.1 draft pick, who won’t play the club’s opening game, conceded he’d been trying to manage “psychology stuff”.
“I’ve definitely had my ups and downs with family loss. I’ve struggled with that .... [and] the balance of training,” he said.
Jamarra Ugle-Hagan has been absent from Western Bulldogs training this year.Credit: Darrian Traynor
“I stayed home, trained on my own, tried to keep busy with just my own training. And get on top of that psychology stuff which is ... it’s a bit difficult.
“Right now I’m just enjoying my footy and just training hard.”
Rioli, who is based in Darwin and recently settled legal action in the Federal Court against the Hawks, had replied to the AFL that he would be attending the game between the Indigenous All Stars team and Fremantle at Perth’s Optus Stadium on Saturday, according to an AFL source who did not wish to go on record given Rioli’s renowned aversion to publicity.
The AFL invited a number of distinguished Indigenous players, including Rioli and Sydney’s dual Brownlow medallist Adam Goodes, who will not be attending the All Stars game. Goodes has chosen to remain in exile from official AFL functions or honours – such as induction to the Hall of Fame – since his retirement in 2015, which followed prolonged ugly booing from sections of the public in his last two seasons. The league issued a belated apology to Goodes.
Goodes’ decorated ex-teammate Lance “Buddy” Franklin, now based in Queensland, will not attend either.
Rioli’s presence follows a legal settlement between the 2015 Norm Smith medallist and his partner Shannyn Ah Sam-Rioli and Hawthorn, which followed a mediation in the Human Rights Commission and then legal action taken by ex-First Nations players, their partners and a former official in the Federal Court.
Nicky Winmar, the feted former Saint, is attending the game, along with Essendon’s seminal Indigenous great Michael Long and pioneering ex-Brisbane Lion and Bulldog Michael McLean.
Rioli and the other players and partners alleged mistreatment by Hawthorn during their playing careers, Rioli having been effectively estranged from the club for some years. The Hawks initially launched their ill-fated cultural safety review - which was the catalyst for the AFL probe and subsequent legal action by the players - after Rioli and partner Shannyn detailed their considerable disappointment with the club in an interview with The Age back in 2022.
The Hawks felt that they had to settle with the players, in the knowledge that a drawn out court hearing would damage all parties and cost millions of dollars in legal fees, irrespective of what the court might have ruled, given the costs incurred.
Indigenous All Stars v Fremantle at Optus Stadium, 4.30pm AWST (7.30pm AEDT)
All Stars squad: Callum Ah Chee (Noongar, Palyku and Nyikina, Yawuru), Karl Amon (Noonuccal), Shai Bolton (Minang and Wilman), Jase Burgoyne (Kokatha, Larrakia, Warai), Charlie Cameron (Waanyi and Lardil), Jeremy Finlayson (Yorta Yorta), Jade Gresham (Yorta Yorta), Joel Hamling (Yorta Yorta), Bobby Hill (Whadjuk, Ballardong, Noongar), Brad Hill (Wilmen, Noongar), Jason Horne-Francis (Wardaman), Lawson Humphries (Nyul Nyul, Oomiday, Worrora), Jarman Impey (Yorta Yorta), Joel Jeffrey (Kukatj, Wulwulam), Ash Johnson (Jaru, Kija), Tim Kelly (Noongar, Wongi, Yamatji), Coen Livingstone (Balardong, Noongar), Ben Long (Anmatjerre), Steven May (Larrakia), Jesse Motlop (Larrakia), Kysaiah Pickett (Yamatji, Noongar), Izak Rankine (Kokatha and Ngarrindjeri), Willie Rioli (Tiwi), Maurice Rioli (Tiwi), Liam Ryan (Yamatji), Jy Simpkin (Yorta Yorta), Tyson Stengle (Wirangu), Michael Walters (Whadjuk, Wilmen and Ngarrindjeri), Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera (Kokatha, Narangga), Zac Williams (Wiradjuri)
Fremantle squad: Sam Sturt, Jaeger O’Meara, Caleb Serong, Heath Chapman, Jordan Clark, Andrew Brayshaw, Luke Jackson, James Aish, Hugh Davies, Luke Ryan, Jeremy Sharp, Murphy Reid, Will Brodie, Liam Reidy, Patrick Voss, Karl Worner, Jye Amiss, Neil Erasmus, Cooper Simpson, Nathan O’Driscoll, Brandon Walker, Michael Frederick, Corey Wagner, Josh Treacy, Brennan Cox, Joshua Draper, Sam Switkowski, Bailey Banfield, Aiden Riddle, Matthew Johnson
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