Willie Rioli forcing Port Adelaide and the AFL into a corner as antics begin to outweigh talent

Willie Rioli is football’s benchmark small forward. The Port Adelaide whippet is an elite kick, a running machine and has a nose for goal like few others. It is what is keeping him on an AFL list right now as controversy continues to round every turn with him. The West Coast premiership player has found himself in a fresh storm this week after sending a text to a Western Bulldogs player that indirectly threatened defender Bailey Dale. Rioli had been involved in a back-and-forth on-field stoush with Dale during Port Adelaide’s defeat at Ballarat on Saturday. What happened on the field didn’t stay on the field and it has since been revealed Rioli’s message surrounded the Bulldogs’ trip to the Northern Territory to play Gold Coast this weekend. Only after the AFL dealt with the issue privately and chose not to slap Rioli with any sanctions, did it emerge he had threatened young Essendon defender Archie Roberts in round three this season and Geelong forward Brad Close in a match last year. The impact Rioli has on games continues to outweigh his off-field issues, according to the Power. They worked with him after he took to social media earlier this season to lay bare his hate for Hawthorn after the two sides clashed at Gather Round. Rioli reposted a screenshot of him showing the ball to Changkouth Jiath as he ran into an open goal. “Play with fire, you’re gonna get burnt, my hatred for this club goes way past last year’s antics, what they did to my dad, and my brother, is why I can’t stand them, not the player,” the post was captioned. The Power said they were sensitive to the forward’s situation and the distress his family still holds, but that they would work with him around his use of social media. That was just four weeks before this latest flashpoint. Port president David Koch said the club was “incredibly angry” with the situation surrounding the 29-year-old, despite not handing down any sanction of their own over the Bulldogs incident. That’s despite being aware of both of the previous incidents of threatening behaviour. Koch said on Wednesday the racial abuse Rioli has been subjected to and his family’s turbulent history with the sport needed to be taken into account in their dealings with him. “We’re incredibly angry about the situation and Willie knows that,” he told Adelaide radio. “What is said on the field is one thing. What is done off-field, particularly on social media and a private message to another player he thought would stay private but then was passed on ... we’ve talked pretty sternly to Willie about it and said it’s just not on. “I’m making absolutely no excuse for Willie’s private message after the game. But you can’t mix on-field and off-field comments or it will lead to places people don’t want to go.” Rioli was a raw talent when he was taken late in the 2016 draft, but he very quickly outgrew the estimations that had him taken with the 52nd pick. He waited a year for a debut and then played 24 games in his second season. He was a goalkicker from day one and the frontline of the web defence that would win the club a premiership at the end of that season. But it is almost certain now that Rioli will be remembered for off-field sagas he has been at the centre off, rather than his ability to flip a game in five minutes. Rioli’s stint at the Eagles was marred by a two-year drug ban and he did not play at all in 2020 or 2021 after tampering with a urine sample during an anti-doping test. Those close to Rioli say he carried the death of his father in 2022 heavily. Alleged racism his father wore the brunt of during a brief stint at the Hawks was behind the Power forward’s blast for the club last month. “I’m one of those raw people that let my emotion sometimes gets the best of me,” he told reporters after that incident. Rioli remains under a cloud for Saturday night’s Showdown clash with Adelaide, but he did train at Alberton on Wednesday evening after extensive meetings with club officials and the AFL. The league had not handed down any findings as of late on Wednesday, but Port Adelaide’s football boss Chris Davies — who addressed media in a hastily-arranged press conference — said they would leave the decision over whether or not to play in Rioli’s hands. “A call could definitely come from Willie with what he’s gone through in the last 24 hours, but again, we’re not taking away from the fact that we’re dealing with a real issue here,” he said. To add to it all, the Showdown is one of the hottest football cauldrons in the country. “We are continuing to try and support him and if that means pulling him out of the game, we will do that,” Davies said. Asked bluntly “how is Willie doing”, Davies replied: “It hasn’t been an easy period of time for him, but he knows that he needed to front up today and answer those questions and do whatever he can to move the situation forward”. “That will definitely be a consideration, but I’d imagine it is tough just making blanket decisions without knowing the individuals a part of it.” Davies conceded contact with opponents after the game is a different matter to conversations in the heat of the moment and confirmed he had addressed Rioli after both of the previous incidents. The Bulldogs, Geelong and Essendon had all been willing to move on without taking those matters further. It is expected the AFL will hand down its findings on Thursday, ahead of the Power selecting their team for Saturday’s match.

Willie Rioli forcing Port Adelaide and the AFL into a corner as antics begin to outweigh talent

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