| Cyril Rioli | ||
| Personal information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Cyril Rioli | |
| Date of Birth | 14 July 1989 | |
| Place of Birth | Darwin, Australia | |
| Recruited from | St Mary's / Scotch College | |
| Height/Weight | 177cm / 78kg | |
| Career highlights | ||
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Cyril Rioli (born 14 July 1989) is an Australian rules football player for the Hawthorn Football Club in the Australian Football League. He wears the number 33 and was chosen at pick 12 in the 2007 AFL Draft. He made his debut in Hawthorn's demolition of Melbourne at the MCG in Round 1 2008 and has played every game since then. Rioli was nominated for the AFL Rising Star Award in round 6 after playing a sensational game and kicking one of the goals of the year against the Richmond Tigers.
Rioli, the nephew of both Maurice Rioli and indigenous Essendon star Michael Long grew up in the Tiwi Islands.[1]
He moved to Melbourne as a 14 year old, attending Scotch College and playing for the school's football team. He is related to former VFL/AFL players Dean Rioli, Michael Long, and Maurice Rioli. Cyril is a cousin of Western Bulldogs player Malcolm Lynch.
Rioli was a standout performer in the 2007 AFL national under 18 championships and a member of the under 18 All Australian team. He was tipped to go high in the national draft, some believing he could be picked first. "Junior" was one of five teenage footballers whose final year of junior football was chronicled in the book The Draft: Inside the AFL's Search for talent by Emma Quayle, published by Allen and Unwin in September 2008.
Despite Rioli's freakish skills and ability being well known, Rioli's performance during the 2007 draft camp was disappointing to numerous scouts. He failed some of the key athletic criteria including skinfold tests. In the 2007 AFL Draft he was drafted by Hawthorn who used their first-round draft pick and number 12 overall.
Rioli had a standout first season in the AFL, being nominated for the 2008 AFL Rising Star Award in round 6 and finishing second overall. The award was won by Fremantle's Rhys Palmer, who topped the poll with 44 votes (one off the maximum), ahead of Rioli on 37.
Rioli was a strong contributor in Hawthorn's 2008 finals campaign, which culminated with a 2008 AFL Grand Final appearance and premiership. He was named 5th best on ground during the Grand Final and kicked two telling goals.
As Rioli's conditioning and endurance improves in the coming years, it is anticipated that he will spend an increasing amount of time nearer to the centre of the ground.
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