John Riley (born 23 April 1958) is an Australian scientist at the
Defence Science and Technology Organisation and former
Australian rules football
Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an oval field, often a modified cricket ground. Points are scored by k ...
er who played with
Footscray in the
Victorian Football League
The Victorian Football League (VFL) is an Australian rules football league in Australia serving as one of the second-tier regional semi-professional competitions which sit underneath the fully professional Australian Football League (AFL). It ...
(VFL) and
North Adelaide
North Adelaide is a predominantly residential precinct and suburb of the City of Adelaide in South Australia, situated north of the River Torrens and within the Adelaide Park Lands.
History
Surveyor-General Colonel William Light of the colo ...
in the
South Australian National Football League
The South Australian National Football League, or SANFL ( or ''S-A-N-F-L''), is an Australian rules football league based in the Australian state of South Australia. It is also the state's governing body for the sport.
Originally formed as the ...
(SANFL).
Scientist
Riley played football for
North Adelaide Football Club while he was studying at
Flinders University
Flinders University is a public research university based in Adelaide, South Australia, with a footprint extending across 11 locations in South Australia and the Northern Territory. Founded in 1966, it was named in honour of British navigator ...
. He was still finishing off his
PhD PHD or PhD may refer to:
* Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), an academic qualification
Entertainment
* '' PhD: Phantasy Degree'', a Korean comic series
* ''Piled Higher and Deeper'', a web comic
* Ph.D. (band), a 1980s British group
** Ph.D. (Ph.D. albu ...
in
atomic physics
Atomic physics is the field of physics that studies atoms as an isolated system of electrons and an atomic nucleus. Atomic physics typically refers to the study of atomic structure and the interaction between atoms. It is primarily concerned wit ...
when he was recruited to the
Footscray Football Club
The Western Bulldogs are a professional Australian rules football team that competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's premier competition.
Founded in 1877 as the Footscray Football Club, and based in West Footscray in the ...
in the
Victorian Football League
The Victorian Football League (VFL) is an Australian rules football league in Australia serving as one of the second-tier regional semi-professional competitions which sit underneath the fully professional Australian Football League (AFL). It ...
(VFL). He returned to Adelaide after only playing one match for Footscray.
Riley completed an Australian Research Grants Scheme research fellowship, then worked in the development of instrumentation for the mining industry.
Riley moved to the
Defence Science and Technology Organisation (DSTO), the research arm of the Australian Department of Defence, in 1988, initially working on
sonar
Sonar (sound navigation and ranging or sonic navigation and ranging) is a technique that uses sound propagation (usually underwater, as in submarine navigation) to navigation, navigate, measure distances (ranging), communicate with or detect o ...
signal processing
Signal processing is an electrical engineering subfield that focuses on analyzing, modifying and synthesizing ''signals'', such as audio signal processing, sound, image processing, images, and scientific measurements. Signal processing techniq ...
which improved the performance of
towed array
A towed array sonar is a system of hydrophones towed behind a submarine or a surface ship on a cable. Trailing the hydrophones behind the vessel, on a cable that can be kilometers long, keeps the array's sensors away from the ship's own noise sou ...
and
sonobuoy
A sonobuoy (a portmanteau of sonar and buoy) is a relatively small buoy – typically diameter and long – expendable sonar system that is dropped/ejected from aircraft or ships conducting anti-submarine warfare or underwater acoustic resea ...
systems.
Riley was awarded a Defence Science Fellowship in 1993, leading to two-year at the
Defence Research Establishment Atlantic in Nova Scotia, Canada, and subsequently to the Aeronautical and Maritime Research Laboratory Best Research Award in 1996.
Riley worked as the Navy Scientific Adviser in 1997, and then was appointed as head of Airborne Sonar leading a research programme in support of the
RAAF P3-C Orion maritime patrol aircraft and
RAN
Ran, RaN and ran may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* ''Ran'' (film), a 1985 film directed by Akira Kurosawa
* "Ran" (song), a 2013 Japanese song by Luna Sea
* '' Ran Online'', a 2004 MMORPG (massively multiplayer online role playing game)
* ...
Seahawk helicopters.
Riley spent a year based in Washington, D.C. as Defence Science Attaché supporting liaison between Australia, the US and Canada. He then returned to Australia to lead submarine operations research for DSTO, based at in Western Australia. This included improvements to the ''Collins''-class combat and sonar systems. Afterwards, he moved to Research Leader of Maritime Combat Systems, which included support for the
Air Warfare Destroyer project. He has also chaired the Maritime Systems Group of
The Technical Cooperation Program
The Technical Cooperation Program (TTCP) is a long-standing international organisation concerned with cooperation on defence science and technology matters, including national security and civil defence. Its membership comprises Australia, Canada, ...
(TTCP).
, Riley is back in Adelaide, as Chief of the Weapons and Combat Systems Division of DSTO.
Football
Originally from
Broadview, Riley made his
SANFL
The South Australian National Football League, or SANFL ( or ''S-A-N-F-L''), is an Australian rules football league based in the Australian state of South Australia. It is also the state's governing body for the sport.
Originally formed as the ...
debut in 1977 and by 1982 was North Adelaide captain. In 1982, he also won the club's 'fairest and most brilliant' award and took part in South Australia's interstate fixtures.
He was lured to the VFL in 1984 when Footscray signed him and made his first appearance in the opening round of the
1984 VFL season
The 1984 VFL season was the 88th season of the Victorian Football League (VFL), the highest level senior Australian rules football competition in Victoria. The season featured twelve clubs, ran from 31 March until 29 September, and comprised a ...
, with eight disposals in a win over Richmond. However, he had not been granted a clearance by North Adelaide, and the club was successful in getting a Supreme Court injunction to prevent him playing more games at Footscray.
Riley finished the season with North Adelaide and remained with the club until 1990, amassing 250 games. After playing in their 1985 and 1986 Grand Final losses, Riley was on the half back flank when they won the 1987 premiership decider. He was later named at the same position in the North Adelaide 'Team of the Century'.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Riley, John
1958 births
Australian physicists
Defence Science and Technology Organisation
Flinders University alumni
Western Bulldogs players
North Adelaide Football Club players
Living people
Australian rules footballers from South Australia
South Australian State of Origin players