Richmond star Daniel Rioli shuts down talk about his future amid Tiger struggles

With once mighty Richmond falling apart a key member of their premiership era has something important to focus on and it’s not his future.

Michael Long with Richmonds Daniel Rioli and Jade Gresham of the Bombers at the MCG . Pic: Michael Klein

The significance of the 20th Dreamtime game is enough for Daniel Rioli to shut-out the “negativity” around Richmond and talk of his own future, which he says isn’t on the table, as he and the Tigers try to muster the energy needed to compete with red-hot Essendon on Saturday night.

Rioli conceded his teammates were “dropping like flies” with as few as 27 fit players for first-year coach Adem Yze to pick this week with the once mighty Tigers suffering back-to-back losses in excess of 90 points for the first time in the club’s long and proud history.

Amid speculation Rioli, who is contracted for three more seasons, could be on the verge of jumping ship, with vice-captain Liam Baker also linked to a move back to Western Australia, the triple-premiership winner said now was the time to rally together, not talk about the future.

“I’m obviously contracted until 2027, but right now I’m focusing on this team and trying to get these boys better,” Rioli said on the MCG on Monday.

“Obviously, I’m a young leader myself, I’ve been in the system for nine years now, so I’m just trying to play happy footy, which I’m trying to do.

“All I’m focusing on is this year and focusing on getting this team to where we want to go, just to get better every day. Rocking up to the club with a smile on our faces.

“I love the Tiger Army. I’m not here to talk about what’s happening with me, it’s a special round, Dreamtime at the ‘G, playing against Essendon. It’s our 20th year and we get to be involved in such a big occasion.”

Richmond’s Daniel Rioli and Jade Gresham of the Bombers at the MCG ahead of Saturday nights “Dreamtime at the G”. Pic: Michael Klein

Maurice Rioli junior, who helped design the special indigenous jumpers Richmond will wear at the MCG is among the 17 players on Richmond’s injury list increasing the need for more “soldiers” to try and lift a team which was thumped by 119-points last Saturday.

Despite the doom and gloom around the Tigers, Rioli tried to take the pressure off Yze too and said the players wouldn’t just roll over.

“We’ve got new coaches but we can’t use that as an excuse, we have to be better as a playing group, we have a game plan there to execute,” he said.

“We’ve been a bit off. Our intensity is there and our effort is there, we just can’t nail our game plan. If we get that right, tweak a few little things, it will go our way.

“We are not coming out on Saturday expecting to lose. We had our review of the Lions game on Monday, and pushed that aside now, all the negative noise we have been facing this year, and hopefully we can turn the tables.”

Essendon ended a 13-match losing streak against Richmond with a win in last year’s Dreamtime clash and hit the MCG this weekend second on the ladder with seven wins and momentum building.

New recruit Jade Gresham, who will go from Dreamtime Auskicker to combatant in his first clash, said consistency and “buying in” has been pivotal to the success of the Bombers so far this season.

“The vibes are pretty high at the moment but it’s a long season and the competition is so tight this year,” he said.

“I wasn’t there last year, but from what I can see this year, we are a bit more consistent, everyone is playing their role and buying in.

“We don’t rely on one player each given week. That’s one of the major reasons we are going OK.”

Originally published as Richmond star Daniel Rioli shuts down talk about his future amid Tiger struggles