Some are born great, and others will forever remain in the pursuit.
For Maurice Rioli Jr., greatness runs deep within his bloodline.
Hailing from Melville Island in the Northern Territory, Rioli Jr. grew up with a football in his hands, with aspirations of one day playing AFL football like his late father and Richmond Hall of Fame member, Maurice Rioli Sr.
“I started my journey playing footy with my dad and all my other family members,” Rioli Jr. said.
“It was in my blood playing footy, kicking a ball as a little kid bare feet up in the Tiwi Islands with all the other kids.
“We didn’t have any junior footy clubs on the Islands, so we had to go into Darwin and play footy.
“So, I flew into Darwin, and I lived there after dad passed away, and I played juniors there growing up, Under 12s for the St Mary's Footy Club.”
Rioli Jr. had to learn to grow up quicker than most kids his age, having moved to Darwin as a young teenager to attend boarding school at St John's College, where his football journey started to take flight.
“In year nine at age 13 or 14, I moved to Darwin from the Tiwi Islands for a year, going to school at St John's and playing a bit of Under 18s and senior footy for St Mary's," Rioli Jr. said.
“It was pretty good to just get that feel of being away from home. I was making a lot of friends at school, and I had a lot of family in Darwin that would sign me out most weekends and look after me.”
Here, Rioli Jr. earned selection for the Northern Territory State Team, where he played in the 2017 AFL Under-16s Championships, and was a regular goal kicker for his side.
Rioli Jr. reflected on his experience of travelling interstate with the NT team, setting him up well for a future in the big leagues.
“It was pretty special to play with other Indigenous people from NT and just representing the Northern Territory itself,” Rioli Jr. said.
“I didn’t know what to expect, as a young teenager growing up, just starting my career and learning what it was like playing footy interstate, it was pretty special.
“It’s pretty different going around to different cities and versing other state teams, going down to Sydney, Melbourne, it was pretty cool experiencing that.”
After proving himself at state level, Rioli Jr. then made the bold decision to move to Melbourne in 2018 in pursuit of his dreams.
During Rioli Jr.'s early years in Melbourne, he spent time connecting with his father’s Club, Richmond.
Further drawing on his connection to Richmond, his nephew and three-time premiership player, Daniel Rioli, also played a pivotal role in his transition to the big city.
“Once a week, I came into the Richmond Football Club and to KGI (Korin Gamadji Institute) as well, which helped me a lot throughout my journey,” Rioli Jr. said.
“They made it a safe place here. Coming to KGI, I got to see Daniel and all the other Indigenous boys who were here at the time.
“I would hang out when they had spare time, and I would go down and play basketball with them, and if I wasn’t doing that, I would hang out in the office with Uncle Lukey (Richmond’s Indigenous Cultural Capability Manager, Luke Murray), which was special.
“It helped me stay here and made it more comfortable.”
Having proved himself in the 2020 AFL Draft Combine, Rioli Jr. was selected with the Club's second pick via the father-son rule.
Rioli Jr. proved himself through strong performances in the VFL early in his first season, earning himself a spot as the Club’s AFL emergency player within his first month of football.
Biding his time, Rioli Jr. finally earned his call-up to the senior side in Round 21 of the 2021 season after an eight-tackle game performance against Frankston the week prior.
Despite kicking a goal on his debut, he did so in front of an empty stadium due to the global pandemic.
“It was pretty special, but it was during COVID, so it was an empty stadium, but for Daniel to present the guernsey to me was pretty special because my other family members couldn’t make it down,” Rioli Jr. said.
“They were back on the Islands watching it on TV, but it was awesome running out there for the first time. It was different and awkward as well because there was no one around.
“Getting to make my debut for the Club was pretty special, and having Daniel to present the jumper was even more special.”
Entering his fifth season, the Club announced that Rioli Jr. would don his father’s famous number 17 jumper.
Many Richmond greats have worn the jumper and done it proud, including Club legend Jack Dyer.
The honour and significance of what it means to wear the jumper hasn't passed on the 22-year-old, as he dares to create his own legacy in the number 17.
“My dad made a big impact with the Club and wearing the number 17, and there were a lot of greats who wore the number 17 before me as well and before him,” Rioli Jr. said.
“It is an honour going out there wearing the jumper, because there is always going to be a next player who is going to wear it.
“Once you do wear it, go out and wear it with pride and make sure you compete and honour the jumper.
“You’re not going to have it for a long time, so someone else is always going to wear it. One of the old players who wore the number 17, I spoke to last week, and he said that to me.
“I never take it for granted, and once I go out there, I always go out there and compete, so it does mean a lot to me, and you’re not just representing yourself but also everyone else.”
In July, Maurice Rioli Sr. was inducted into the Club's Hall of Fame during Richmond’s President’s Function before the Round 18 clash with Essendon.
Rioli Sr., who passed away in 2010, had an illustrious career with the Club, playing 118 games, kicking 80 goals, winning a Jack Dyer and Norm Smith Medal, as well as being the runner-up in the 1983 Brownlow Medal. Read more on Rioli Sr’s historic career HERE.
Rioli Jr. reflected on his late father’s lifetime achievement and what it meant to his family.
“It was an awesome day. We versed Essendon, and it was a scrappy game, but we got the win,” Rioli Jr. said.
“A few weeks before, once the Club told me dad was getting inducted in the Hall of Fame, they said hopefully you can play that weekend, and I said yeah, hopefully I can.
“It was pretty special, because my dad played here and the impact he made and the friendships and connections he made throughout the Club had a big impact on him.
“It was pretty special for me and my family."
Despite having a slow start to his 2025 campaign, having played the first four games in the VFL, Rioli Jr. earned his spot in the senior side in Round 5 against Fremantle, where he had an instant impact.
Slipping in and out of the team, the explosive small forward has become a mainstay in the senior side for the second half of the season, injecting pace and pressure into the side.
Rioli Jr. admitted that he worked closely with the coaching staff to reignite his confidence, which allowed him to get back to playing his best brand of football.
“I came back and played some good footy at the start of the year, but then I felt that I dropped away from that and just lost confidence in myself,” Rioli Jr. said.
“I had a good chat with the coaches, and they had belief in me that I could go back and just build that confidence.
“I went back and did that, and from those conversations, I worked a lot off-field as well with my development plan.
“I just went back to the basics of playing footy and enjoying what I love doing, getting around my teammates and built my confidence from there, and I found myself playing good footy again.
“I was heading in the right direction, and I think I’m still building, and I can’t wait to play this week and every other week, because I’m just looking forward to building my game and playing some good footy with the rest of the boys.”
Now in his fifth season with the Club, Rioli Jr. is embracing being a leader for the young crop of Tigers who are coming up the ranks.
“They got drafted for a reason, because they are talented and you can see it once they get out on the field,” Rioli Jr. said.
“It’s unbelievable. They are coming in more confident every year. I remember the first day I came in, and I wasn’t that confident. I was shy as.
“These younger boys have come in very confident, and they are happy to speak up, they are happy to listen, happy to learn, so it’s awesome to see the confidence they’re coming in with.
“Once they go out on the field, it is showing as well, and I think we are heading in the right direction with these younger boys.
“It’s pretty awesome and I love the way we are heading, so hopefully you can see a lot more out there and hopefully get more experience under our belt because we are going to go a long way.”
