Magic in Darwin catalyst for Daniel Rioli’s form revivalRichmond’s Daniel Rioli reckons the Dreamtime game in Darwin was a dream come true ... ‘It felt like was going back to play local footy for St Marys.’
Courtney Walsh
The Australian
October 2, 2020Their finals campaign is yet to begin but Daniel Rioli already feels he has played in a big one this year.
The dual-premiership Tigers star, whose team will tackle the Lions at the Gabba in the second qualifying final on Friday night, is still buzzing from his trip to the top end for a game last month.
The peculiarities of the COVID-19 season saw the Dreamtime clash between Richmond and Essendon relocated from the MCG to Darwin in what proved a true highlight.
The Riolis are royalty in Darwin and on the Tiwi Islands but given his ties to Richmond, the 23-year-old never thought the opportunity to play at home would arise. It felt like a grand final to him. Now he wants another.
“Obviously the grand final is going to be in Brisbane this year, but I reckon it was as close to that, for me,” he told The Australian.
“I am still pinching myself. It brought back a lot of memories. I remember getting into the team bus and heading to the ground and it felt like I was going back to play local footy for St Marys.
“I walked into the changerooms and got a bit emotional — almost broke down — but it just shows how much the TIO (Stadium) and St Marys Football Club mean to me and to my family. It is something I will cherish for the rest of my life.
“It was just surreal having Dustin Martin (and) the boys I looked up to as a kid like Trent Cotchin, having those boys coming to play in Darwin in front of my friends and family, it was something special. I have ticked that box off now.”
Although only a regular season match, a correlation can be drawn between the Dreamtime game and the finals history of Rioli as Richmond prepares for another premiership push.
Rioli struggled for his best form earlier this season and was twice dropped from the Richmond side.
But on a stage that meant so much to him, he delivered a beauty, zipping from one end of the Marrara ground to the other, booting a goal while thriving in the conditions.
Senior teammate Shane Edwards, who accompanied Rioli and several other Tigers to the Tiwi Islands in the mid-season break of 2017, wasn’t surprised.
Rioli had often told him of his dreams about playing a match at home and declared that if the opportunity arose, he would excel.
“When we visited Tiwi Islands — Daniel invited a group of us up there in the mid-year break and we went and won the premiership that year, which was a good omen — he was always telling stories about, ‘Oh, I played here or dominated there, or dominated this’ and was saying, ‘Imagine if we actually played an AFL game here, I would dominate’,” Edwards said.
“And he was actually really, really good in that game. Hopefully we play more Dreamtime games up there, because that was an unbelievable experience. I know you probably don’t get the ticket sales that the MCG gets, but the cultural experience more than makes up for it.”
A glance at Rioli’s finals record demonstrates why he was able to handle the pressure of a moment that meant so much to him.
In last year’s finals series he kicked three goals. In 2018 he managed three in a qualifying final win over Hawthorn. In 2017 he kicked four in a preliminary final against the Giants.
Excelling on the biggest stages in football is something that runs in his blood, Rioli said.
“It is a weird thing to have, that you save your best for the finals. But Cyril, Willie, Dean, those players, all my uncles, have all performed on the big stage when it does count,” he said.
“We will see on the weekend how we go, but hopefully I can keep that going. It is nice to show how good you are.
“You would like to have a good year in general, consistently, but to be able to perform in finals games is pretty special.
“Hopefully we can continue that run and I get to make my family proud and obviously play my role for the team as well.”
The role played by Rioli for Richmond was severely underrated, Edwards said.
He is not a prolific ball winner but his gut-running away from the play, beyond what the television broadcasts, is a critical cog in the Richmond defensive machine.
“His game is built on pressure and defensive intensity and that is what finals is all about, so the way he plays is perfect for it. He doesn’t have to change too much when the finals comes around,” Edwards said. “Daniel is one of those players who, throughout the year, he doesn’t get the most possessions or goals, but he is enormous for the way we play. He opens up a lot of space for everyone.
“That is something you can’t teach, and a lot of people don’t know it, but it is about how disciplined he is to performing his role.
“When they see teams not being able to switch the ball, there is a pretty big reason. That is because of guys like Daniel Rioli and Kamdyn McIntosh, who are not letting it out there.”
https://www.theaustralian.com.au/sport/afl/afl-finals-magic-in-darwin-catalyst-for-daniel-riolis-form-revival/news-story/1dba4e3465c1777ad200ba94db59b73f
