Watch Daniel Rioli's emotional return with the cup in the video:
https://www.richmondfc.com.au/video/2019-11-08/premiership-cup-on-tour-of-tiwi-islands
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Inside Daniel Rioli's return to Pirlangimpi, population 300 people and nine AFL flagsAndrew McCormack
7NEWS
Thursday, 7 November 2019 7:50 pmThe 2019 premiership cup glistens on the water.
Its man-made shimmer stands out against the natural beauty of Melville Island.
In its reflection a beaming Daniel Rioli holds the cup aloft as the leaves of the mangrove trees fly by in a green blur.
Dad, Bradley, has the outboard engine at full throttle, there are no speed limits on the Tiwi waterways.
The yellow and black ribbons, still attached from grand final day, horizontal in the air as we head out to a local fishing spot.
Once there, the cup is replaced with a fishing rod and the hunt for barramundi begins.
Richmond’s 12th premiership trophy sits peacefully on the bow of the dingy as the two-time premiership Tiger casts a line.
The remote town of Pirlangimpi, 30 minutes by plane north of Darwin, is no stranger to footy’s most sought-after prize – Michael Long (‘93, ‘00), Cyril Rioli (‘08, ‘13, ‘14, ‘15), Willie Rioli (‘18) and Daniel Rioli (‘17, ‘19) all products of what can lay claim to footy’s most successful breeding ground.
Not bad for a population of around 300.
Earlier, Tigers chief executive Brendon Gale touches down at the nearby airfield and hands the cup over to the 22-year-old Richmond goalkicker.
It doesn’t take long for word to spread and excited locals emerge with phones in hand to grab a much-cherished selfie as Rioli triumphantly walks into town. New Facebook and Instagram profile pictures a priority even in the top end!
A rockstar reception follows at a local primary school before a visit to the resting place of Rioli royalty.
Maurice Rioli, Richmond champion and Norm Smith medallist, is Daniel’s grand uncle but considered to be his granddad.
He blazed the trail for Pirlangimpi’s place in the VFL/AFL landscape.
Maurice’s widow Mali calls out as we approach the cemetery, letting the spirits know we are coming.
We make our way through the 8-10-foot-high wooden pylons that surround the gravesite.
Each one meticulously carved and painted to represent those who lay beneath them.
Gale places the cup on the gravestone of Maurice senior and immediately recognises the footy card image on the tombstone.
https://twitter.com/Richmond_FC/status/1192255580309573633The same action shot hangs over 2000km’s away in Richmond headquarters at Punt Road Oval.
Laying beside Maurice is older brother Sibby, an East Fremantle legend and the first of the Rioli’s to venture south and export their unique skill and talent to the footy world.
On the other side is the Rioli patriarch, Cyril Senior, the head of footy’s most successful family.
After a quiet moment of reflection, the time has come to head back to town.
Once again Mali calls out, this time to say thank the spirits for letting us experience one of the most sacred places on the island.
As we fly back to the mainland a rainbow shines above the snaking waterways and lush green landscape. Footy’s pot of gold on board, safely stowed away.
Odds are there’ll be a new cup on its way in the not so distant future as the Pirlangimpi legacy adds another chapter to its already remarkable premiership story.
https://7news.com.au/sport/afl/inside-daniel-riolis-triumphant-return-to-pirlangimpi-population-300-c-545091
