Cyril Rioli facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Cyril Rioli
Rioli playing for Hawthorn in April 2017
Personal information
Full name	Cyril Rioli
Nickname(s)	Junior
Date of birth	(1989-07-14) 14 July 1989 (age 35)
Place of birth	Tiwi Islands, Australia
Original team	St Mary's (NTFL)/Scotch College(APS)
Draft	No. 12, 2007 national draft
Debut	Round 1, 2008, Hawthorn v. Melbourne, at Melbourne Cricket Ground
Position(s)	Half forward flank
Career highlights
4× AFL premiership player: 2008, 2013–2015 Norm Smith Medal: 2015 3× All-Australian team: 2012, 2015, 2016 AFL Goal of the Year: 2009 AFLCA Best Young Player: 2009

Cyril Rioli (born July 14, 1989) is a famous former Australian rules football player. He played for the Hawthorn Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). Cyril was part of four winning teams that won the AFL championship. He also won the Norm Smith Medal in the 2015 AFL Grand Final. This award goes to the best player in the Grand Final game.

Cyril usually played as a forward pocket, scoring goals for his team. Sometimes he also played in the midfield. However, injuries stopped him from staying there for long periods. Cyril wasn't a player who got the ball all the time. But when he did, he used it very well and made a big impact!

Early Life and Junior Football

A Family of Footballers

Cyril Rioli was born in 1989 to Cyril Jr. and Kathy. He comes from a family full of amazing footballers! His dad, Cyril Jr., was a champion player in the Northern Territory. He is also the brother of the famous Maurice Rioli, who won the Norm Smith Medal for Richmond Football Club. Cyril Jr. played for St Mary's and won 12 championships with them. He also won the Nichols Medal in 1995–96 as the league's best player.

Cyril's mom, Kathy, is the sister of Michael Long. Michael Long played for Essendon and won two championships. He also won the Norm Smith Medal in 1993. Another former player, Dean Rioli, is Cyril's cousin. After the 2015 season, Cyril's nephew Daniel was drafted to the Richmond Football Club.

Life in the Northern Territory

Cyril spent his first eight years living in the Tiwi Islands. This is a group of islands off the coast of the Northern Territory. Later, his family moved to Darwin, the capital city of the Northern Territory.

Football Scholarship in Melbourne

In 2004, when he was 14, Cyril moved to Melbourne. He went to Scotch College and lived there as a boarder for four years. He played football for the school team. This move happened because Scotch College had a long-standing connection with Indigenous communities in the Northern Territory.

A teacher named Dr. Rob Smith helped create a scholarship program for talented Indigenous footballers. Cyril was the first player chosen for this program. He first came to Melbourne with his cousin, Steven. But after just three days, they wanted to go home! Dr. Smith called Michael Long, Cyril's uncle, for help. Michael Long, along with Derek Kickett and Sibby Rioli (another uncle), came to the school. Michael Long knew this was a very important choice for 14-year-old Cyril. Steven went home, but Cyril decided to stay in Melbourne.

At Scotch College, Cyril was nicknamed "Junior" or "Junior Boy." He played brilliantly in his last year, even though he had injuries like a broken collarbone and a badly hurt ankle. People started to follow him closely after a video of his best plays was put on YouTube. Cyril later said that moving to Melbourne for school early on made it easier to join the AFL later.

Cyril also played very well in the 2007 AFL national under 18 championships. He was the only player from the Northern Territory to be named an All-Australian. This happened after he kicked seven goals in one game against Queensland. Experts thought he would be picked early in the national draft.

Even though Cyril was fast and tricky, some scouts were unsure about his dedication. Before the draft, Cyril said he loved playing football and thought he was good at it, but he didn't care where he was picked. The Hawthorn Football Club eventually drafted Cyril in the 2007 AFL Draft. They used their first pick, which was the 12th pick overall, to get him.

AFL Career (2008–2018)

Rioli in May 2008

Just a few days after being drafted, Cyril joined the Hawks on a trek along the Kokoda Track. He completed most of his first pre-season training with the club. This was a lot of work for a new player! The head fitness coach, Andrew Russell, said that no other first-year player he had worked with did so much in their first pre-season.

Cyril played his first AFL game in Hawthorn's win against the Melbourne Football Club in March 2008. He quickly became known for his ability to chase and pressure opponents. In round six, he was nominated for the AFL Rising Star Award. This award goes to the best young player. He was also nominated for Goal of the Year for an amazing goal.

Cyril played in every game during his first year. This included a fantastic performance in Hawthorn's win against Geelong in the 2008 AFL Grand Final. His play was very important as Hawthorn won their first championship since 1991. Cyril helped with a couple of goals in the first quarter and kicked two goals himself in the final game. After the game, Hawthorn coach Alastair Clarkson praised Cyril. He said, "We knew Cyril was a beauty, but you just never expect that they're going to play every game of the season and be able to play in a grand final."

Cyril finished second in the 2008 AFL Rising Star Award. Fremantle's Rhys Palmer won the award.

Rioli plays at the Melbourne Cricket Ground against Melbourne

In February 2009, Cyril was chosen to play for the Indigenous All-Stars team. This team played a pre-season match against the Adelaide Football Club. After his great first year, some people compared him to Gary Ablett Jr.. Ablett also started as a small forward and became a dominant midfielder. This was because of Cyril's amazing skills and his ability to create something from nothing.

In May, journalist Mike Sheahan said that Cyril's great plays were not getting enough attention. He said that only captain Sam Mitchell had been more effective for Hawthorn that year. After playing 36 games in a row, Cyril tore his hamstring in May 2009. He missed three games, and Hawthorn lost all of them. His return was a big boost for the team. After he returned, Cyril signed a new contract to stay with Hawthorn for three more years.

At the end of 2009, Cyril won the AFL Coaches Association award for Best Young Player. This award covered his first two years in football. He also won the Phil Manassa Medal for Goal of the Year for his amazing goal in round seven. When Cyril kicked that goal, commentator Bruce McAvaney called him a "delicious young footballer." This word "delicious" became strongly linked to Cyril and McAvaney.

Rioli in 2011

In 2014, Cyril had more hamstring problems and missed most of the season. It was a surprise when he was chosen to play in the Grand Final.

In 2015, Cyril was part of the Hawthorn team that won three championships in a row! He also won the Norm Smith Medal for being the best player in the Grand Final. He dedicated this award to his cousin, Fabian Brock, who had passed away during the 2015 season.

In 2017, Cyril started the season slowly. Then he injured his right PCL (a knee ligament) while trying to take a mark. This injury ended his season.

2018 was Cyril's last season. He had a difficult start because he took time off to visit his family in the Northern Territory. His father had been very ill. He returned to Melbourne and played the first game. But he got injured again in round 4. A Melbourne player clipped his leg, hurting his left PCL. Cyril again took leave to visit his family. While there, he thought about his future in football.

On July 4, 2018, Cyril Rioli announced that he was retiring from football right away. He said he would move back to Darwin to be with his family.

Personal Life

Cyril Rioli married his childhood sweetheart, Shannyn Ah Sam, on October 19, 2014. Their wedding took place at the George Brown Darwin Botanic Gardens.

Statistics

Honours and Achievements

Team

• 4× AFL premiership player (Hawthorn): 2008, 2013, 2014, 2015
• 2× Minor premiership (Hawthorn): 2012, 2013

Individual

• Norm Smith Medal: 2015
• 3× All-Australian team: 2012, 2015, 2016
• AFLCA Best Young Player: 2009
• AFL Goal of the Year: 2009
• Hawthorn best first year player (debut season): 2008
• AFL Rising Star nominee: 2008
• Under 18 All-Australian team: 2007
• 2× Indigenous All-Stars: 2007, 2009
• Northern Territory Team of the Century
• Hawthorn life member