Maurice Rioli Jr on track to follow in famous family footsteps
As one Rioli returns to the Northern Territory in Richmond colours, another is edging closer to following in his trailblazing father’s footsteps.
As one Rioli returns to the Northern Territory in Richmond colours, another is edging closer to following in his trailblazing father’s footsteps with the Tigers.
Maurice Rioli Jr — the son of the late Richmond and South Fremantle champion Maurice Rioli Sr, and cousin of current Tiger Daniel Rioli — is generating hype among recruiters after starring for AFLNT club St Mary’s over summer.
Dreamtime game rivals Essendon and the Tigers, who face off in Darwin on Saturday night, both have priority access to Maurice Jr in this year’s draft — the Bombers via their Next Generation Academy and Richmond as a father-son pick.
Fremantle also can take him as a father-son choice.
But the 175cm small forward, who boards at Melbourne’s Scotch College and is aligned to NAB League side Oakleigh Chargers, favours a move to Richmond. His dad is a club great with the Tigers as a three-time All-Australian, dual best and fairest and the first Indigenous player in the league to win a Norm Smith Medal, and fellow Tiwi Islands product Daniel has claimed two flags there.
St Mary’s co-captain Shannon Rioli said Maurice Jr had the classic Rioli traits exhibited by his other cousins, ex-Hawthorn star Cyril and West Coast goalsneak Willie: fierce tackling, repeat efforts, pace and an eye for goals.
“He’s a jet,” Shannon told The Weekend Australian.
“We keep saying with every Rioli that comes through, but he could be the best of the lot.
“He’s already been doing stuff with Richmond and I know other teams would be keen on him — they’d be silly if they weren’t.
“We knew he was pretty handy and from a young age he was always better than most kids his age, but last season he did some pretty special things. The way he’s going, it’s looking like Richmond.”
The hype grew in February after Rioli kicked four goals in a best-on-ground performance in a semi-final for St Mary’s, where his father began his career.
Former AFLNT talent manager Brenton Toy called Maurice Jr a ripping young man who had come a long way.
“He’s always been around footy and showed glimpses of brilliance, but as he grew into his body he showed he had everything — the attitude, intensity, footy smarts and cleverness around goals, but like his dad, his tackle pressure was outstanding,” Toy said.
Maurice Jr spent last season playing for Scotch, Northern Territory and St Mary’s, only lining up in a pre-season trial for Oakleigh Chargers, before Victorian competitions were shut down this year.
“He does some really flashy things and has got great ball control … and he would’ve played Round 1 for us, for sure,” Chargers talent manager Jy Bond said.
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