1. At this stage in his sporting life, Maurice Rioli was an excellent amateur boxer, who some thought good enough to go to represent Australia at the Olympics.
28 Facts About Maurice Rioli
1. 2.
Maurice Rioli later won state amateur titles at light middleweight and welterweight.
3.
Maurice Rioli chose to sign on with South Fremantle as a professional footballer and quickly won a reputation as a brilliant, elusive centreman.
4.
Maurice Rioli won the Simpson Medal as best player afield in the 1980 and 1981 Grand Finals.
5.
On his arrival in 1982, which coincided with the transfer of the Krakouer brothers to North Melbourne, Maurice Rioli spoke about the racial taunts and obstacles faced by Indigenous players in the game.
6.
Maurice Rioli chose to shrug much of the racism off, and he was certainly possessed with an intense concentration on the field.
7.
Maurice Rioli created history by winning the Norm Smith Medal as best afield, the first Indigenous player and the first player from a losing team to do so; when combined with his consecutive Simpson Medals from the 1980 and 1981 WAFL Grand Finals, Maurice Rioli had been best on ground in three consecutive Grand Finals.
8.
Shortly after, Maurice Rioli won the Jack Dyer Medal as the club's best and fairest to cap off an impressive first season.
9.
Maurice Rioli had another stellar season, again winning the best and fairest, finishing runner-up in the Brownlow medal, gaining Western Australian and All-Australian selection, and winning the Simpson Medal for his state of origin performance.
10.
An acknowledged star of the game and arguably the best player at the club, Maurice Rioli continued to stand out in a mediocre team.
11.
Maurice Rioli represented Australia in Gaelic football against Ireland, and was an immediate choice for Western Australia in state of origin matches.
12.
Maurice Rioli performed patchily through the season and the next, when Richmond finished last for only the third time in its history.
13.
Maurice Rioli captained Western Australia in the state game that year against his teammate Dale Weightman, who led Victoria.
14.
Maurice 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.
15.
Maurice Rioli was still good enough to win All-Australian honours for a third time after the 1988 Bicentennial Carnival.
16.
Maurice Rioli played in the 1989 WAFL Grand Final, but South Fremantle went down to Claremont.
17.
Maurice Rioli followed that with a two-year stint as non-playing coach of the Waratahs.
18.
Fittingly, it was won by another Territorian Aboriginal player, Michael Long, who had played at St Mary's in Darwin, where Maurice Rioli had started his senior football a generation before.
19.
In 2004, Maurice Rioli was inducted into the WA Football Hall of Fame.
20.
Maurice Rioli held this position until 2001 when he retired from parliament.
21.
Maurice Rioli was a trailblazer for indigenous Australian football players at the elite level of the game and was an acknowledged elder statesman among Aboriginal players.
22.
The Maurice Rioli family is one of the most notable families in the history of Australian rules football.
23.
On Christmas Day 2010 Maurice Rioli collapsed and died at a family barbecue being held in Darwin, after suffering a heart attack; he was 53.
24.
Maurice Rioli was an enormously important figure in the game as a player, and more broadly in the leading role he played for Aboriginal Australians.
25.
Maurice Rioli will be remembered as one of the greatest players in the Tigers' proud history.
26.
Maurice Rioli was the trailblazer for footballers from the Northern Territory in making their mark in the VFL and the AFL and he continued to serve his community long after his playing days, with his work in public life.
27.
Maurice Rioli was just one of the greatest natural talents I have ever seen.
28.
Maurice Rioli was the best tackler in his day and is still the best tackler I have ever seen.