Hawthorn hero Cyril Rioli snubs club's premiership celebrations
Hawthorn's powerhouse premiership team from 2013-15 has celebrated the 10-year anniversary of its famous threepeat, with legends from far and wide joining the special event at Melbourne Town Hall on Friday night.
Fans were thrilled to see AFL great Lance Franklin — who joined Sydney after the 2013 premiership and then faced his old teammates in the 2014 grand final — at the function, and lesser lights such as Matt Spangher (2014 premiership player) and Ryan Schoenmakers (2015) were also celebrated.
Hawthorn's social media account posted images of the event, saying, 'Aura levels are off the charts.'
And a flood of comments followed as fans quickly noticed a heartbreaking detail.
'Someone missing,' one fan said.
While another asked: 'Where's Cyril?'
Of course, the sad fallout between Cyril Rioli and his former club has been well documented, but it still impossible to fathom for many idolising fans.
Rioli was an electrifying Hawthorn fan favourite, a four-time premiership hero, and a 2015 Norm Smith Medal winner.
'Where is Cyril? @jrboyrioli we miss you a lot! Please forgive us for any mistake we have done. We want you to join us as well,' one fan said.
And another: 'I do miss Cyril. Hopefully under Mitchel he'll feel comfortable enough to come back.'
'Wish Cyril would go 😢,' another fan said.
The fact is, the rift between Hawthorn and Rioli is so significant that it seems the former superstar will never embrace the club again.
And that cold hard reality is now starting to be realised by fans.
'Cyril will never come back. It's sad,' one fan said.
Former captain and Channel 7 star Luke Hodge said earlier this year that Rioli was not 'comfortable' with the idea of returning to the football club 'just yet'.
'There's been a number of guys that have reached out to Cyril. And we left on really good terms,' Hodge said on Channel 7's The Agenda Setters.
'When he retired he sent me a message saying 'thanks for all the development and help'. I've had no issues with Cyril ever, but it's almost like he's parted ways with everyone there.
'Even a lot of the mentors in that forward line (at the time he played) haven't been able to connect with him either.'
Hodge caught up with Rioli in Round 10 this year when Gold Coast played Hawthorn in Darwin.
And cameras spotted Rioli cheering a Gold Coast goal.
'He had a fair smile on his face when Gold Coast kicked that goal,' Hodge said.
'I haven't seen him since about 2018. I saw (Gold Coast CEO) Mark Evans talking to him so I just wanted to go across and say g'day.
'It was just good, he was looking great, he had a smile on his face, he said his cousin was flying out there and has made a real difference to the Gold Coast Suns.
'It was great to see him and Shannyn over there.'
Rioli's cousin Daniel plays for the Suns, moving north at the end of last year after a premiership-winning career with Richmond.
'I just got told that he was here. I didn't see him, I haven't been in contact with him yet,' Daniel told Channel 7 after that game.
'It's good to see him out here still watching the footy. I love him.
'The fans probably got around him, he's so well known here in the Top End and he was a Hawks player himself. It's good to see him here watching the footy.'
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7NEWS
8 hours ago
- 7NEWS
Hawthorn hero Cyril Rioli snubs club's premiership celebrations
Hawthorn's powerhouse premiership team from 2013-15 has celebrated the 10-year anniversary of its famous threepeat, with legends from far and wide joining the special event at Melbourne Town Hall on Friday night. Fans were thrilled to see AFL great Lance Franklin — who joined Sydney after the 2013 premiership and then faced his old teammates in the 2014 grand final — at the function, and lesser lights such as Matt Spangher (2014 premiership player) and Ryan Schoenmakers (2015) were also celebrated. Hawthorn's social media account posted images of the event, saying, 'Aura levels are off the charts.' And a flood of comments followed as fans quickly noticed a heartbreaking detail. 'Someone missing,' one fan said. While another asked: 'Where's Cyril?' Of course, the sad fallout between Cyril Rioli and his former club has been well documented, but it still impossible to fathom for many idolising fans. Rioli was an electrifying Hawthorn fan favourite, a four-time premiership hero, and a 2015 Norm Smith Medal winner. 'Where is Cyril? @jrboyrioli we miss you a lot! Please forgive us for any mistake we have done. We want you to join us as well,' one fan said. And another: 'I do miss Cyril. Hopefully under Mitchel he'll feel comfortable enough to come back.' 'Wish Cyril would go 😢,' another fan said. The fact is, the rift between Hawthorn and Rioli is so significant that it seems the former superstar will never embrace the club again. And that cold hard reality is now starting to be realised by fans. 'Cyril will never come back. It's sad,' one fan said. Former captain and Channel 7 star Luke Hodge said earlier this year that Rioli was not 'comfortable' with the idea of returning to the football club 'just yet'. 'There's been a number of guys that have reached out to Cyril. And we left on really good terms,' Hodge said on Channel 7's The Agenda Setters. 'When he retired he sent me a message saying 'thanks for all the development and help'. I've had no issues with Cyril ever, but it's almost like he's parted ways with everyone there. 'Even a lot of the mentors in that forward line (at the time he played) haven't been able to connect with him either.' Hodge caught up with Rioli in Round 10 this year when Gold Coast played Hawthorn in Darwin. And cameras spotted Rioli cheering a Gold Coast goal. 'He had a fair smile on his face when Gold Coast kicked that goal,' Hodge said. 'I haven't seen him since about 2018. I saw (Gold Coast CEO) Mark Evans talking to him so I just wanted to go across and say g'day. 'It was just good, he was looking great, he had a smile on his face, he said his cousin was flying out there and has made a real difference to the Gold Coast Suns. 'It was great to see him and Shannyn over there.' Rioli's cousin Daniel plays for the Suns, moving north at the end of last year after a premiership-winning career with Richmond. 'I just got told that he was here. I didn't see him, I haven't been in contact with him yet,' Daniel told Channel 7 after that game. 'It's good to see him out here still watching the footy. I love him. 'The fans probably got around him, he's so well known here in the Top End and he was a Hawks player himself. It's good to see him here watching the footy.'
Daily Telegraph
8 hours ago
- Daily Telegraph
AFL 2025: Cyril Rioli absent from Hawthorn three-peat celebration, Buddy Franklin makes rare appearance
Don't miss out on the headlines from AFL. Followed categories will be added to My News. Lance 'Buddy' Franklin made an appearance at Hawthorn's celebration of their 2013-2015 premiership three-peat on Friday night, but a fan favourite was absent from the anniversary function. Players from Hawthorn's most recent golden premiership era attended a commemorative function in Melbourne, with the club's premiership cups from 2013, 2014 and 2015 proudly on display. FOX FOOTY, available on Kayo Sports, is the only place to watch every match of every round in the 2025 Toyota AFL Premiership Season LIVE in 4K, with no ad-breaks during play. New to Kayo? Get your first month for just $1. Limited-time offer. Franklin played in the 2008 and 2013 premierships with Hawthorn but missed out on the rest of the three-peat after he moved to the Sydney Swans, playing out the rest of his career there and losing three grand finals, including the 2014 decider to Hawthorn. The legendary goalkicker was in good spirits as he chatted to former Hawks spearhead Jarryd Roughead and the likes of Luke Hodge, Isaac Smith Sam Mitchell. Franklin, who is expecting his third child with wife Jesinta, didn't attend Hawthorn's 100-year club anniversary earlier this year. Jarryd Roughead, Buddy Franklin and Sam Mitchell. Photo: Instagram. Buddy Franklin chats to some of his old Hawthorn teammates. Photo: Instagram. One fan commented on Instagram: 'Seeing Bud at Hawk functions and talking about Hawthorn warms my heart.' Franklin now co-hosts a podcast with Hawthorn champion and 2008 premiership teammate Shane Crawford. But not every player from Hawthorn's premiership three-peat could attend, and one notable absentee was legendary small forward Cyril Rioli. The 2015 Norm Smith Medallist was one of just six players to play in the three-peat and the 2008 flag, but his relationship with Hawthorn has soured over allegations of racism during his time at Hawthorn. Some of the players who won premierships with Hawthorn in 2013, 2014 and 2015. Photo: Instagram. Rioli retired in 2018 after playing 189 games across a career that saw him win Goal of the Year in 2009 and named to the All Australian team on three occasions. Neither Rioli or former Hawthorn coach Alastair Clarkson, now the coach of North Melbourne, were at the three-peat function. One fan commented on social media: 'Someone missing', while a second said: 'Where's Cyril?' A third said: 'Cyril will never come back it's sad.' Another commented: 'I do miss Cyril hopefully under Mitchell he'll feel comfortable enough to come back.' Cyril Rioli won the Norm Smith Medal in 2015. (Photo by Michael Dodge/) In May, triple premiership captain Luke Hodge greeted Rioli at an AFL game in Darwin and stopped to chat to his old teammate in the crowd. 'I hadn't seen him since about 2018,' Hodge said. 'I saw Mark Evans (Gold Coast Suns CEO) talking to him so I just wanted to go over and say g'day. It was good. 'He's looking great and had a smile on his face. He said his cousin was flying out there running across the halfback line. It was great to see him and Shannyn over there.' Earlier this year, Hodge told Channel 7's Agenda Setters: 'We understand that Hawthorn and Cyril haven't come to the stage where Cyril feels comfortable back in the football club just yet. 'There's been a number of guys that have reached out to Cyril. And we left on really good terms. When he retired he sent me a message saying 'thanks for all the development and help'. I've had no issues with Cyril ever, but it's almost like he's parted ways with everyone there. Even a lot of the mentors in that forward line (at the time he played) haven't been able to connect with him either.' Hawthorn's four-time premiership players: (L-R) Cyril Rioli, Jordan Lewis, Sam Mitchell, Jarryd Roughead, Grant Birchall and Luke Hodge. Hawthorn have won premierships in every decade since the 1960s and now as the team's coach, Mitchell will he hoping that streak can continue in the 2020s. Jordan Lewis, who missed the event due to commentary duties with Fox Footy, said Hawthorn's dominant premiership teams were defined by their 'competitiveness'. 'You need the game plan, you need to be fit and healthy and everything to go right, but if you're not competitive, you can't sustain that long period of success,' Lewis told 'Players recognise that when they've been successful for one year and find it really hard to back it up. Then you really appreciate how good those teams that were able to stay at the top of their game and win multiple premierships in a row.' The Hawks are fifth on the ladder — they have the bye this weekend and take on North Melbourne in round 16. Originally published as Hawthorn icon absent from club's premiership three-peat celebration
News.com.au
10 hours ago
- News.com.au
Hawthorn icon absent from club's premiership three-peat celebration
Lance 'Buddy' Franklin made an appearance at Hawthorn's celebration of their 2013-2015 premiership three-peat on Friday night, but a fan favourite was absent from the anniversary function. Players from Hawthorn's most recent golden premiership era attended a commemorative function in Melbourne, with the club's premiership cups from 2013, 2014 and 2015 proudly on display. FOX FOOTY, available on Kayo Sports, is the only place to watch every match of every round in the 2025 Toyota AFL Premiership Season LIVE in 4K, with no ad-breaks during play. New to Kayo? Get your first month for just $1. Limited-time offer. Franklin played in the 2008 and 2013 premierships with Hawthorn but missed out on the rest of the three-peat after he moved to the Sydney Swans, playing out the rest of his career there and losing three grand finals, including the 2014 decider to Hawthorn. The legendary goalkicker was in good spirits as he chatted to former Hawks spearhead Jarryd Roughead and the likes of Luke Hodge, Isaac Smith Sam Mitchell. Franklin, who is expecting his third child with wife Jesinta, didn't attend Hawthorn's 100-year club anniversary earlier this year. One fan commented on Instagram: 'Seeing Bud at Hawk functions and talking about Hawthorn warms my heart.' Franklin now co-hosts a podcast with Hawthorn champion and 2008 premiership teammate Shane Crawford. But not every player from Hawthorn's premiership three-peat could attend, and one notable absentee was legendary small forward Cyril Rioli. The 2015 Norm Smith Medallist was one of just six players to play in the three-peat and the 2008 flag, but his relationship with Hawthorn has soured over allegations of racism during his time at Hawthorn. Rioli retired in 2018 after playing 189 games across a career that saw him win Goal of the Year in 2009 and named to the All Australian team on three occasions. Neither Rioli or former Hawthorn coach Alastair Clarkson, now the coach of North Melbourne, were at the three-peat function. One fan commented on social media: 'Someone missing', while a second said: 'Where's Cyril?' A third said: 'Cyril will never come back it's sad.' Another commented: 'I do miss Cyril hopefully under Mitchell he'll feel comfortable enough to come back.' In May, triple premiership captain Luke Hodge greeted Rioli at an AFL game in Darwin and stopped to chat to his old teammate in the crowd. 'I hadn't seen him since about 2018,' Hodge said. 'I saw Mark Evans (Gold Coast Suns CEO) talking to him so I just wanted to go over and say g'day. It was good. 'He's looking great and had a smile on his face. He said his cousin was flying out there running across the halfback line. It was great to see him and Shannyn over there.' Earlier this year, Hodge told Channel 7's Agenda Setters: 'We understand that Hawthorn and Cyril haven't come to the stage where Cyril feels comfortable back in the football club just yet. 'There's been a number of guys that have reached out to Cyril. And we left on really good terms. When he retired he sent me a message saying 'thanks for all the development and help'. I've had no issues with Cyril ever, but it's almost like he's parted ways with everyone there. Even a lot of the mentors in that forward line (at the time he played) haven't been able to connect with him either.' Hawthorn have won premierships in every decade since the 1960s and now as the team's coach, Mitchell will he hoping that streak can continue in the 2020s. Jordan Lewis, who missed the event due to commentary duties with Fox Footy, said Hawthorn's dominant premiership teams were defined by their 'competitiveness'. 'You need the game plan, you need to be fit and healthy and everything to go right, but if you're not competitive, you can't sustain that long period of success,' Lewis told 'Players recognise that when they've been successful for one year and find it really hard to back it up. Then you really appreciate how good those teams that were able to stay at the top of their game and win multiple premierships in a row.'
