Cricket
Racing
Rugby
League
Motorsport
Football
Golf
Combat Sports
Basketball
Tennis
Other Sports
Sport Nation
"Move on": Bulldogs star breaks silence on Rioli incident
SEN • May 18th, 2025 2:34 pm
Western Bulldogs star Bailey Dale has broken his silence on the recent incident with Willie Rioli.
The Port Adelaide forward sent a threatening text message directed at Dale following the Round 8 clash between the Power and Dogs where the pair matched up on each other and were involved in a scuffle.
During the week, Port Adelaide chief David Koch spoke out on the incident, insinuating that some form of cultural disrespect must have ensued in the lead up to the message being sent.
This was rebuked by Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge, defending his player by stating that Dale was far from an adversarial individual.
Speaking this morning, Dale expressed his desire to move on from the situation.
“What was said was said,” Dale told Footy on Nine.
“Willie texted me straight after the game and apologised, and I sort of moved on from there.
“I’m not one to say too much on the field to the opposition so I just go out there and try to get the footy as much as I can.
“I just want to play a role for my team and influence the game, so I was pretty happy to move on as soon as possible.”
Citing Beveridge’s mid-week defence, Dale suggested that his backing of his players is a major contributor to his ongoing success at the club.
“It’s great to have Bevo stick up for me at times,” he continued.
“He does that for all of his players. It was good from him, that’s why he’s such a good coach.”
Dale had one of the greatest games in Western Bulldogs’ history last night, claiming a record-breaking 49 disposals, 37 kicks, 11 score involvements and 1016 metres gained.
The Bulldogs’ 91-point smashing of the Bombers sees them jump to 6-4 on the season, leaping into the top five with a league-high 132.6 percentage.
