Dean Rioli (born 20 May 1978) is a former Australian rules football player who spent his whole professional career with the Essendon Football Club in the Australian Football League. The nephew of

Maurice Rioli Maurice Joseph Rioli Sr. (1 September 195725 December 2010) was an Australian rules footballer who represented St Mary's Football Club in the Northern Territory Football League (NTFL), in the West Australian Football League (WAFL) and in th ...

, the Richmond Football Club champion of the 1980s, Rioli grew up on the

Tiwi Islands The Tiwi Islands ( tiw, Ratuati Irara meaning "two islands") are part of the Northern Territory, Australia, to the north of Darwin adjoining the Timor Sea. They comprise Melville Island, Bathurst Island, and nine smaller uninhabited islands, w ...

in the

Northern Territory The Northern Territory (commonly abbreviated as NT; formally the Northern Territory of Australia) is an Australian territory in the central and central northern regions of Australia. The Northern Territory shares its borders with Western Aust ...

, but was recruited from the South Fremantle Football Club in the 1998 Rookie Draft. He was a member of South Fremantle's 1997 Premiership winning team. His father, Sebastian Rioli, played for South in the 1970s, and his younger brother Shannon Rioli joined South in 2010.

AFL career

He is renowned for his goal sense, silky skills and his ability to play well even when overweight and unfit. Rioli had ongoing injury problems (particularly back and knee-related) for many years, severely limiting his games played and the level of fitness he was able to attain. During his final season in 2006, Rioli battled injury problems and only played four games. Dean Rioli played his last, and his 100th AFL game for the Essendon Football Club on 26 August 2006. He suffered a broken wrist during the game.

Post-AFL career

Following his retirement, Rioli returned to the Northern Territory to play in the

Northern Territory Football League The Northern Territory Football League (NTFL) is an Australian rules football semi-professional league operating in Darwin in the Northern Territory. The league is one of few (and the highest level) Australian Rules competitions played during ...

with the

Tiwi Bombers Tiwi can refer to: *Tiwi, Albay, a municipality in the province of Albay, Philippines * Tiwi, Kenya, a settlement in Kenya's Coast Province * Tiwi, Oman, an archaeological site *Tiwi, Northern Territory, a suburb of Darwin in Australia *The Tiwi Is ...

, where he became a solid contributor and on-field leader. In October 2008 Rioli was appointed senior coach for 2009 at the

Aberfeldie Aberfeldie is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, north-west of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Moonee Valley local government area. Aberfeldie recorded a population of 3,925 at the . Aberfeldie is bo ...

Football Club, in the

Essendon District Football League The Essendon District Football League (EDFL) is a professional Australian rules football league competition based in Essendon, Victoria, consisting of teams based in the north-west suburbs of Melbourne. Founded in 1930, the men's competition ...

. Prior to this he was an assistant coach, a role he also performed in 2006 at the Keilor Park Football Club. Rioli continued as senior coach at

in 2010 but stepped down at the end of the home and away season. He joined Osborne Football Club in the

Hume Football League The Hume Australian Football Netball League (HFNL), often shortened to Hume Football League, is an Australian rules football and netball competition containing twelve clubs based in the South West Slopes and southern Riverina regions of New Sout ...

in 2011. In a work move very dear to his heart, Dean runs the company DRAES which stands for Dean Rioli Aboriginal Employment Services. Based in

Essendon Essendon may refer to: Australia *Electoral district of Essendon *Electoral district of Essendon and Flemington * Essendon, Victoria **Essendon railway station **Essendon Airport * Essendon Football Club in the Australian Football League United Ki ...

, a suburb of Melbourne, it specialises in finding the right type of job for indigenous people. In 2012, Rioli was the unsuccessful

Australian Labor Party The Australian Labor Party (ALP), also simply known as Labor, is the major centre-left political party in Australia, one of two major parties in Australian politics, along with the centre-right Liberal Party of Australia. The party forms t ...

candidate for the Northern Territory seat of Arafura, the same seat that his uncle

had held between 1992 and 2001. Rioli was selected on the half-forward flank in South Fremantle's Indigenous Team of the Century in 2009, along with his father Sebastian and uncle Maurice. In November 2022, Essendon appointed its first-ever Indigenous board member with Riolo. The selection aims to "enhance Essendon’s connections with Indigenous Australians across the country." Rioli replaced Paul Brasher as the club president.

References

External links

Essendon Player Profile
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Rioli, Dean 1978 births Living people Essendon Football Club players South Fremantle Football Club players Indigenous Australian players of Australian rules football Australian rules footballers from the Northern Territory Tiwi Islands people Waratah Football Club players Tiwi Bombers Football Club players Rioli family