Maurice Rioli, Australian VFL player and politician, member of the NT Legislative Assembly for Arafura (1992–2001), died from a heart attack. he was , 53

Maurice Rioli was an Australian rules football player from St Marys Football Club in the Northern Territory Football League, who also played for the Richmond Football Club in the Australian Football League and the South Fremantle Football Club in the West Australian Football League died from a heart attack.he was , 53. After retiring from football he became a politician in the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly.

Regarded as one of the great players of his era, Rioli was one of the first aboriginal footballers to have a significant impact on Victorian football and was named in the centre for the Indigenous Team of the Century. A highly skilled and solidly built centreman with exquisite ball-handling skills and lightning reflexes, Rioli was a renowned performer on the big stage.^[2]

(1 September 1957 – 25 December 2010[1])

 Early days

Born into a famous footballing family on Melville Island off the coast of the Northern Territory, the young Rioli learnt the game at the Garden Point Orphanage on the island. From there, he joined St Marys in the Darwin competition for the 1974-75 season; football in the top end is played during the summer months, or 'wet season'. Scouts from the South Fremantle club in Perth spotted the eighteen year old tyro and lured him to West Australia to join his brother for the coming season. At this stage in his sporting life, Rioli was also an excellent amateur boxer, who some thought good enough to go to represent Australia at the Olympics. He later won state amateur titles at light middleweight and welterweight.^[3]
However, he chose to sign on as a professional footballer and quickly won a reputation as brilliant, elusive centreman. During this era, Rioli was one of a number of brilliant aboriginal players in the WAFL who caught the eyes of recruiting scouts from the VFL clubs in Victoria. South Fremantle, under ex-Richmond player Mal Brown, were a form team of the competition, playing in three consecutive WAFL grand finals between 1979 and 1982, including winning a premiership in 1980. Rioli won the Simpson Medal as best player afield in the 1980 and 1981 Grand Finals. He transferred to Richmond for the 1982 VFL season, after playing 121 games for South Fremantle between 1975 and 1981.^[4]

Immediate impact In Victoria

To this point, few aboriginal players had had extended careers in the VFL. On his arrival, which coincided with the transfer of the Krakouer brothers to North Melbourne, Rioli spoke about the racial taunts and obstacles faced by indigenous players in the game. Rioli chose to shrug much of the racism off, and he was certainly possessed with an intense concentration on the field. His reputation as a boxer probably helped to avoid confrontation during a game - Rioli was a scrupulously fair competitor who found no trouble with the umpires.^{[citation needed]}
The Tigers awarded Rioli the number 17 made famous by Jack Dyer.^[5] Richmond supporters quickly warmed to their much-heralded recruit, who specialized in the audacious baulk, the pinpoint foot pass and the lightning-fast handball. His ability to work the ball out of packs and congestion was uncanny. Although his leg speed wasn't very fast, his quick mind appeared several steps ahead of the play and he had no problem adjusting to the faster tempo of Victorian football. It was just as well, because the Tigers opted to play him in his favoured centre position where Geoff Raines had dominated. For the previous five years, Raines had been the best player in the team (winning three best and fairest awards) and acknowledged as the best centreman in the competition, but he was moved to accommodate Rioli.^[6] The change worked well and Richmond finished the season on top of the ladder for the first time since 1974. The Tigers booked a berth in the Grand Final with a comfortable win in the semi final against Carlton.
Pitted once more against Carlton, Richmond went into the big match as a slight favourite. However, the Tigers lost the match after leading at half-time. Rioli created history by winning the Norm Smith medal as best afield, the first aborigine and first player from a losing team to do so.^[6] Shortly after, Rioli won the club's best and fairest to cap an amazing first season. But problems lay immediately ahead. Raines approached the club and requested a contract commensurate with Rioli's earnings. When refused, Raines walked out and asked for a clearance to Collingwood. Other prominent players fell into financial dispute with the club and left; the decimated team struggled and finished third-last in 1983.
But Rioli had another stellar season, again winning the best and fairest, finishing runner-up in the Brownlow medal and winning West Australian and All-Australian selection.^[5] An acknowledged star of the game and the best player at the club, Rioli continued to stand out in a mediocre team. He represented Australia at Gaelic football against Ireland and was an immediate choice for West Australia in state of origin matches. However, after finishing second in the Richmond best and fairest in 1985, he dropped a bombshell on the club.

Aborted move to Sydney

In the summer of 1985–86, the new private owner of the Sydney Swans, flamboyant and controversial doctor Geoff Edelsten, had been frantically signing talent on massive contracts to play for his team. Rioli was announced as one of his many signings. It was the salary cap that saved Rioli from leaving for Sydney. After rumours that he would either join Essendon or return to South Fremantle, he eventually returned to the Tigers midway through the 1986 season.^[5][7] Rioli performed patchily through the season and the next, when Richmond finished last for only the third time in its history. Rioli captained Western Australia in the state game that year against his team-mate Dale Weightman, who led Victoria.

Later career

Following the 1987 season, at only 30 years of age, Rioli decided that his time in Melbourne was up and headed back to South Fremantle to be appointed as captain. In his absence, the football landscape in the west had altered dramatically with the formation of the West Coast Eagles. Rioli opted to play at the lower level and the scheduling of seasons allowed him to captain-coach the Waratahs club in Darwin during the summer. He was still good enough to win All-Australian honours for a third time after the 1988 Bicentennial Carnival. In 1990, he finished as a player in Perth after 166 games for South Fremantle, but continued as a player in Darwin until 1991. He followed that with a two year stint as non-playing coach of the Waratahs. In 1993, he was invited by the AFL to present the Norm Smith medal at the Grand Final. Fittingly, it was won by another Territorian Aborigine, Michael Long (Essendon) who had played at St Marys in Darwin, where Rioli had started his senior football a generation before.

Political career

After permanently relocating with his family to Darwin, Rioli was elected as the member for Arafura in the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly for the Australian Labor Party in 1992. He held this position until 2001 when he retired from parliament. Although he played football for almost a decade in Perth and only six years in Melbourne, Rioli is still recognised as one of the best known Northern Territorians. He was a trailblazer for indigenous Australian football players at the elite level of the game and was an acknowledged elder statesman among aborigines that played the game.
In 2007 Rioli was working as a Community Services manager for the Tiwi Islands Council.^[8]

Family

In 1972, Maurice's older brother Sebastian Rioli, became one of the first Aboriginal footballers from the Northern Territory to move to Western Australia to play football for South Fremantle. Maurice followed in 1975 and became the most successful footballer of the eight Rioli brothers. Brothers Cyril Jr and Willie also played league football for South Fremantle, and John, Manny and Laurence also moved to Fremantle, but returned to Darwin without playing senior football.^[9] Willie was drafted by Hawthorn in 1990, but did not make his AFL debut. Maurice is the uncle of current Hawthorn player Cyril Rioli (son of Cyril Jr) and former Essendon player Dean Rioli (son of Sebastian).^[10][11]

Career highlights

• Norm Smith Medal 1982
• Richmond Best and Fairest 1982, 1983
• Interstate Games:- 13
• All Australian: 1983, 1986, 1988

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