Daniel Rioli, Joel Jeffrey and Ben Long excited for Gold Coast Suns Darwin clashes
The Gold Coast’s Daniel Rioli will live out a childhood dream by running out as part of the home AFL side in Darwin hoping to inspire the next generation of NT footy stars.
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If you had told a junior Daniel Rioli he would be playing in an AFL jumper at his home ground of TIO Stadium he would have laughed.
Now he’s a three time premiership player who gets to live out that dream for a second team, one which he believes has all the potential to succeed.
Rioli is one of the Territory’s most successful footy exports winning three flags with the Richmond Tigers, but it’s the uniqueness of playing in the Top End again that has him excited.
The defender made the jump from Richmond to the Gold Coast in the off-season to rejoin former coach Damien Hardwick, a great friend of his and a mentor he holds in high esteem.
He previously played in the NT in a relocated Dreamtime game, a match he remembers fondly for the opportunity to come north.
But the Suns being the Darwin team opens up the opportunity for Rioli to play at home in two matches every season and join forces with one his junior teammates Ben Long.
“It’s exciting to have a few brother boys here at the Suns, like Ben who I came through juniors with and after being drafted to separate clubs this is a full circle moment,” Rioli said.
“We’ve got some Indigenous boys that are playing good footy while Joel Jeffrey has come out pretty strongly and is showcasing what he’s really good at.
“If you had told me I would be playing up here as an AFL player I would have laughed at you and the Suns do it every year, that’s special and really exciting.
“I get to go back and play in front of friends and family, I’m looking forward to it, I’ll have my mum, dad and my fiance there and get together with my friends.”
Rioli is one of four Territorians named for the match alongside Long, Jeffrey and Malcolm Rosas Jr, who will make his first appearance of the season.
For him it’s also a chance to showcase the sport to a region that doesn’t see it often despite being full of footy heads from his home on the Tiwi Islands down.
And he believes his Suns side, which he’s been hugely impressed with since walking into the building can put on a show the Territory faithful deserve.
“This is a young group but the first thing I noticed when I walked in was how hungry and eager to learn everyone is on and off the field,” Rioli said.
“If we can convert the bond we all have off the field it’s obviously going to carry us in good stead for the rest of the games and this is a side with the makings of success.
“I remember when I first got to Richmond everyone was in the middle age bracket and ready to break through and it’s a similar sort of feeling coming here.
“Role players are important to this side, we want to hunt the footy and be one of the best teams in the competition that can set the standard.”
Territory’s Long hoping to be injury free for Darwin clashes
The Territory’s own Ben Long will have been put through the paces this week to ensure he’s back in time to play in the Gold Coast Suns match against the Bulldogs in Darwin.
Long has enjoyed a brilliant start to the season booting 14 goals from the opening six games with an average of 12 disposals to nail down his spot.
However, he was sidelined in the Suns Q-Clash loss against Brisbane with a hamstring injury and is on watch ahead of his hometown double-header.
But Long has been impressed with the Gold Coast’s performances to date, which except for losses to Richmond and Brisbane, has set them up for a potential first finals run.
“It’s definitely been good vibes so far and folks around the group have had a really great start to the season despite the one or two hiccups,” Long said.
“Our match against Sydney where we didn’t have a great start to the game showed our ability to respond and come out firing in the third quarter, something we can take confidence from.
“We had to come back but when it came down to it we responded and got the job done in the end.”
Now it’s on to Darwin where the Territorian has only enjoyed success since joining from St Kilda and he will want to be in the side again to run out in front of his community.
“The Darwin game is always something us boys are grateful and excited to play in every year and want to be in,” Long said.
“To have the opportunity to go up and play in Darwin in front of friends and family is not something we get all that often so it’s great when it comes around.
“And this year to have different teams come up that are difficult is great for the community and the fan base up there that supports the Suns, it’s special for them.”
Long is one of many Territory connected players in the Gold Coast Suns and even played alongside Daniel Rioli in juniors.
Rioli recently joined the side from Richmond.
Now they will get to run out together at TIO Stadium as AFL players, with Joel Jeffrey another Territory-born player who has cemented his place in the mix.
“It’s awesome to have Daniel come across to the club, he’s been successful and won premierships,” Long said.
“He brings so much experience and bounce off the back line and I love playing with him.
“And Joel has taken his game to another level, he’s growing in that space and it’s really good to see him going well.
“For me I feel I’ve started the season well and playing along guys like Ben Ainsworth and Ben King has helped, I love playing with them boys.
“They’ve helped me find a place where I’m in really good form and just trying to keep it consistent each week to play my part in the team.”
‘Special’: Jeffrey locked in for Territory games after terrific season start
Territorian Joel Jeffrey has found himself a mainstay of the Gold Coast Suns this season, locking down his place in the side during its successful start to 2025.
And with a double header in Darwin next on the agenda, he’s ready to show his best in front of his home supporters.
Jeffrey made his debut for the Suns at the tail end of the 2021 season after a shining junior career with NTFL club Wanderers.
Due to injury, his game time was curtailed in his early seasons, but under Damien Hardwick, Jeffrey’s second Suns coach, he was able to lock down his position.
The Suns sit fourth on the ladder heading into their Darwin matches, with seven games played compared to the eight most sides currently boast.
“It’s been a great start to the season, it’s great winning but we’ve worked hard from pre-season onwards to get to this stage,” Jeffrey said.
“Last year under Dimma was very much about learning a new system and now it’s all starting to come together for us.
“We’ve gained a lot of confidence from last year and now people are starting to notice what we can do and how damaging we can be on the field against good sides.”
For Jeffrey, building his tank to win the battles in his defensive hybrid role has been a big focus and the likes of Dan Rioli and John Noble joining the Suns fold has been huge for his development.
“Personally I worked hard on my running game, to get fitter and build my tank to develop my defensive game and be more competitive in the one on ones,” he said.
“I’m playing a hybrid role now as both a small and tall so I’ve worked really hard, and with those guys in the side they’ve given me flexibility to add other things to my game.
“I’m learning a lot from Daniel, he’s won premierships with Richmond so to see how he goes about his games and to see how he works behind the scene to show his skills on the field has been great.”
The Suns are coming off a loss in the Q-Clash to the Lions, only their second defeat of the season, but in Darwin they’ve got an unbeaten record to defend.
These two won’t come easy with the Western Bulldogs and Hawthorn both having strong seasons of their own, but for Jeffrey and the other Territorians in the side, this is a homecoming.
“The boys always look forward to these two game, we love coming home and playing in front of friends and family,” he said.
“We’ve got a feel for it now having been there a few years in a row and we hope to get the two wins while showing the community and next generation some quality footy they can aspire to.
“I say it every year but I get goosebumps running out on the field and looking over my shoulder and seeing my family, it’s special and something I’ll hold in my heart for the rest of my life.”
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