Shannon Rioli to make Bombers debut in Maurice Rioli Cup

A chance to play footy with his brother one more time has swayed St Mary’s icon Shannon Rioli to join the Tiwi Bombers ahead of the Maurice Rioli Cup.

He is a St Mary’s icon winning seven premierships and playing more than 200 games, but a chance to play with his brother one last time has swayed Shannon Rioli to the Tiwi Bombers.

St Mary’s and the name Rioli have long gone hand in hand and over the past few years it has been Shannon who has carried the torch at the club.

But with brother Ben making a few drop-in returns to the NTFL and an eye on helping the Bombers return to their exciting best has inspired the move across.

Add on getting the chance to help the community he grew up in, and playing alongside a group of players he grew up with and it’s a move that made sense for the champion player.

Shannon Rioli is set for his first game with the Tiwi Bombers in the Maurice Rioli Cup in Round 7. Picture: (A)manda Parkinson

Rioli’s first match comes in Round 6, in the Maurice Rioli Cup against Waratah, and from there he’s eying Ben’s Tiwi debut in Round 7, and a match against St Mary’s, to get a taste of being the foe.

“(Coach Brenton Toy) spoke about the community benefits, the benefits it would have on the team and what it would mean to the community,” Rioli said.

“We’ve had Riolis play and coach at Tiwi Bombers and my brother (Dean) has also been the president as well, so we have that connection to the club.

“(In 2019) Dion Munkara kicked a goal to seal a final against Districts and ran the length of the wing in celebration.

“It was then my brother and I looked at each other and went ‘wow, maybe it would be fun to play for them’.

“This will probably be the last chance Ben and I get to play together before we call time, and after so many games together it would be a chance I would regret not taking.

“And in the end it came down to my partner telling me Saints will always be there, but Ben won’t always be there to play footy with so I took the opportunity.”

Shannon Rioli has been captain of both St Mary’s and NT Thunder since making his NTFL debut in 2005. Picture: Keri Megelus

In many ways the move will be a homecoming, a Tiwi boy playing for the Tiwi team.

Prior to the Bombers formation, it was St Mary’s that was the go to club for players from the Tiwi Islands.

The Bombers and the Riolis’ have also had a long history with Shannon’s older brother Dean and uncle Willie both taking prominent roles at Bombers.

“Tiwi people care about Tiwi people and we want to give back and that’s something I want to do,” Rioli said.

“I want to give back and help the young players coming through and want to help them become not just good NTFL footballers, but also help them going to state leagues and furthering their careers.”

In a neat twist, Rioli’s debut game as a 15-year-old for St Mary’s in the 2006-07 season was also the Tiwi Bombers’ first ever game.

Shannon Rioli has plenty of highlights over his time at St Mary’s.

It was his first in a storied career with many highlights including the Rioli family’s 1000th game, celebrating Iggy Vallejo’s record 329 game milestone and the soccer kick which sealed the 2015-16 grand final.

“On my debut we played Tiwi and it was special because my brother Dean and uncle Willie were playing for them so it was three Riolis vs two Riolis,” Rioli said.

“All the finals are special particularly this most recent one against Tahs, because it was the first one my kids got to see and it was about five years since we last won.

“Then the 2012-13 final, against Tiwi, it was the season after my dad (Sibby) passed away and winning that and the support really reaffirmed the strength of my connection to the club.

“Saints will always be there and I still want to come back to Saints and finish my playing career there if I get the chance.”

Originally published as Shannon Rioli to make Bombers debut in Maurice Rioli Cup