sport news Maurice Rioli Jr opens up on his Dad, playing with his nephew and learning AFL ... trends now
His AFL career is just six games old but rising Richmond star Maurice Rioli Jr is already drawing comparisons to his famous father, club legend Maurice Rioli.
But the son of the one of the first Indigenous players to really make their mark on the VFL/AFL is also determined to forge his own legacy as he prepares to play in front of 70,000-plus fans in the return of the Dreamtime at the 'G event on Saturday.
Rioli Jr will line up against the Bombers with his nephew Daniel - who is six years older than him - by his side. It will be a huge occasion, one that brings back a flood of memories for Rioli Jr, who lost his famous dad when he was just eight years old.
Maurice Rioli Jr visits the grave of his superstar father who tragically died when he was just eight years old. Rioli Jr will now play his first Dreamtime at the 'G match alongside his nephew
'I wish I had my dad when I was growing up,' Maurice Jr told the Herald Sun.
'And to have him teaching me a lot more about footy and hunting.
'I'm lucky enough to have families and people that are friends who became close to me … luckily I had people around me who supported me through it all, especially my mum.
'I wish he had taught me a bit more about footy growing up.'
Maurice Rioli played 168 games for South Fremantle and 118 games for Richmond in a decorated career
The rise of Rioli Jr has been stunning to see, with the unconventional forward already rolling out a host of party tricks in the AFL.
It comes from growing up in Darwin, where Rioli Jr and his relatives would craft a ball from socks or a Coke bottle and play in the streets.
'We never used to have an oval under lights back home,' he said.
'We always used to wait until it was really dark and then the street lights would turn on along the road. We'd play football outside near the lights, and that was pretty cool back then.
'We always think about how lucky we got. When you're kicking a Coke bottle around, that's where you started from and now kicking an actual footy out on the MCG, is pretty remarkable.'
Maurice Rioli and Daniel Rioli of Richmond run out during the AFL Round 7 match between the West Coast Eagles and the Richmond Tigers
Daniel said watching Maurice establish himself in the team was a pleasure and he was looking forward to sharing the Dreamtime at the 'G
