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Hatred for Hawthorn: Willie Rioli takes aim in brutal post
SEN • April 14th, 2025 1:52 pm
Warning: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised that this story makes references to a person who has died.
In a since-deleted Instagram post, Port Adelaide’s Willie Rioli has taken aim at Hawthorn.
The Power forward cheekily showed the ball to Changkuoth Jiath as he kicked a goal late in Port’s 30-point win over the Hawks at the Adelaide Oval on Sunday night.
Jiath took offence to Rioli's actions and felled him in the goal square, resulting in a free kick and a simple second goal which essentially ended the contest.
Rioli reposted the AFL’s video of him on his Instagram story, accompanied with a scathing message.
“Play with fire, you’re gonna get burnt," he wrote.
"My hatred for this club goes way pass last year antics, what they did to my dad, and my brother, is why I can’t stand them. Not the players. #Cococlub.”
Rioli’s late father Willie Snr was drafted by the Hawks in 1990 but never played a senior game for the club.
His cousin Cyril - a Hawks legend - was the lead applicant in a lawsuit against Hawthorn which was settled in November.
Nathan Buckley commented on the incident on SEN's Whateley on Monday morning.
"I thought that he’s an abrasive player," said Buckley.
"They clearly won the mental battle. Rioli that’s a big part of his makeup, he loves to get in the face of his opposition.
"Once he can get his opponent second-guessing himself, that’s when he take advantage of those moments."
Last week Rioli lifted the lid on the emotional trauma and guilt he has experienced since serving his drug-related ban from the AFL.
The 29-year-old was handed a back-dated two-year suspension in March 2021 for tampering with a drug sample. He was playing for the West Coast Eagles at the time of the ban.
“I don’t shy from my passed (sic),” he wrote under a video montage of Andrew Dillon, Adam Simpson, his teammates, family and children.
“I do blame myself everyday and have sleepless nights for hurting my teammates, the club, the ones I love and who were there for me along my journey.
“I know I hurt so many people during my situation and darkest time, it took me a while to accept my faith, I believe now everything happens for a reason, the good and the bad, but regardless of the situation, I learnt not to dwell on the passed (sic) and on the things out of my control any more.
Rioli booted three goals and provided two goal assists as Port shocked the Hawks in the final fixture of Gather Round.
