Popular past player Dean Rioli has joined the Essendon Football Club board

Popular past player Dean Rioli has accepted an invitation to join Essendon’s board, replacing outgoing president Paul Brasher.

Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti will return to Essendon. Picture: Getty Images

Essendon says new board appointee Dean Rioli will help the club again become a destination for Indigenous talent after he accepted the club’s invitation to join its board.

The popular past player, who suited up for Essendon in exactly 100 AFL games, will also chair the club’s National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Advisory Council.

Essendon’s recent review recommended the club hire an indigenous board member and it has acted quickly, with Rioli to replace outgoing president Paul Brasher.

Rioli made clear he believed the board was united after Kevin Sheedy’s recent decision to make clear he had not voted for Brad Scott to become the club’s new coach.

The current coach of the Moonee Valley women’s team said he was proud to be the club’s first indigenous board member after its proud record of recruiting indigenous talent.

The club will recruit the Davey twins in coming weeks and has access to NGA talent Anthony Munkara and wants to again be a club of choice for indigenous talent.

Dean Rioli has joined the Essendon board.

President David Barham said the club had made a point of reinforcing the need to bring indigenous players into a diverse club.

“Dean will help us reset our club so that we again become a destination for all young Indigenous talent around the county,” he said.

“We want more Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and players to be connected to the Essendon Football Club and the role of the Advisory Council will be to drive this across Australia. He is a great role model, as well as being one of our past great players. This is a great step forward for our club,” Barham said.

Rioli will only need to stand for election in 2024 as Brasher departs after being moved aside when Barham took over the club’s presidency.

“The current board is so aligned. It’s been a challenging period for the club and after meeting all board members individually I’m really excited for the direction of the club,” Rioli said

“The review completed provides a roadmap for Essendon to return to the top and implementing the recommendations will be exciting for the whole club.

“I’m very excited to see where the club can head and get stuck into the review and the areas we can improve the club as a whole.”

Dean Rioli was a club favourite at the Bombers.

TIPPA RETURNS: STAR FORWARD LOCKED IN FOR COMEBACK

Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti will return to Essendon after convincing the Bombers he was ready to make the physical and mental sacrifices to play AFL football.

The Bombers had until Tuesday afternoon to re-commit to McDonald, who had retired this year but was still officially on the club’s list.

As revealed by the Herald Sun this month McDonald-Tipungwuti’s only option was to play at Essendon as he attempted to get back into solid training and win back their trust.

His single discussion with Fremantle coach Justin Longmuir saw the Dockers have some mild interest but only as a train-on rookie over summer.

It is understood McDonald-Tipungwuti’s personal situation has settled down and given him the peace of mind to again devote himself to his career.

He had established himself as one of footy’s best stories after overcoming significant hardships to win his spot on the Essendon list via the NAB League and the club’s VFL team.

But as he battled personal issues and spent time away from the club in 2021 and early this year the decision had been made for him to walk away from the club.

Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti is returning to Essendon. Picture: Michael Klein

Now Essendon under new coach Brad Scott will hope he can again form a lethal partnership with mid-forward Jake Stringer after kicking 34 goals in 2021.

Essendon football boss Josh Mahoney said the Dons believed they had made a responsible decision to add the livewire forward back onto their list.

“We are thrilled that Anthony has decided to come back to the Bombers. Anthony took time away from the club in 2022 to focus on life outside of footy. We’re comfortable he has taken the time he needs to bring a renewed enthusiasm to return to the AFL and play for Essendon,” Mahoney said.

“He is a committed Essendon person who loves playing football and our conversations with Anthony recently led us to believe there was a realistic chance he would come back to Essendon.

“Once we knew he was keen to return we worked with the AFL on the right pathway back to the club including approval from a list management perspective.”

“We will continue to support him on and off the field and assist in his quest to return to football. We acknowledge a lot of hard work is ahead but feel confident he can achieve his football ambitions and goals at the club he loves.”

“He is loved by players, coaches, staff and fans and we look forward to him returning to Essendon.”

Originally published as Popular past player Dean Rioli has joined the Essendon Football Club board