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"Not telling the truth": Confusion mounts over Rioli saga
SEN • May 7th, 2025 10:49 am
- Rioli allegedly threatened three players from three clubs
- AFL opted not to sanction the Port forward
- Lyon wants more action over the issue
- Sam Edmund says Rioli has become a problem for Port
The AFL needs to front up and re-evaluate its decision not to sanction Willie Rioli after it was reported that the Port Adelaide forward has allegedly threatened three players in the last 12 months.
Information relating to comments made by Rioli towards players from Geelong and Essendon has emerged in the aftermath of the AFL’s decision not to sanction the 29-year-old for a hostile text he sent relating to Bailey Dale.
While the Dale issue was dealt with between the two clubs before being reported to the AFL, two more incidents have since come to light.
The first alleges a "pretty violent, bordering on horrific" communication between Rioli and a Geelong player after Round 9 in 2024.
According to Caroline Wilson, Cats boss Andrew Mackie informed Laura Kane of the issue - a claim the AFL has categorically denied.
There are also allegations of a similar exchange earlier this season where Rioli threatened an unnamed Essendon player.
Amid widespread confusion over fact and fiction, the AFL's lack of consistency in its messaging over player behaviour and standards was called out by Garry Lyon on SEN Breakfast.
“The AFL has a case to answer for being so soft," he said. "This is a pattern of behaviour that has been established. The AFL needs to front up and make another statement on it.
“There will be a lot of circumstances they have taken into consideration over this, but it’s beyond that now. In this instance they have missed the mark.
“There needs to be consistency in the messaging. It’s gone form the back pages to the front, I use that as an example of how this escalates if you don’t deal with this.
“It’s been mishandled.”
WHAT IS THE TRUTH?
Revelation in the last 24 hours have left the AFL “absolutely livid”, according to SEN’s Sam Edmund who also reported that the AFL dismissed Wilson's Geelong claims as "entirely false".
“(It was a) pretty violent, bordering on horrific, threat that was made to a Geelong player by Willie Rioli," Wilson said on Channel 7.
“A lot of players heard it. I’m told, the response from the Port Adelaide players, those who were within earshot, was a bit, ‘Oh no, not this again,’.
“And the Geelong player who was threatened chose not to go on with it. Didn’t want the incident reported to the AFL. But Geelong’s footy boss Andrew Mackie took the decision to refer the matter to (AFL footy boss) Laura Kane."
With the AFL denying this claim to Edmund, Tim Watson called out one party for lying.
"That's directly that Andrew Mackie contacted Laura Kane, somebody's not telling the truth here," he said on SEN Breakfast.
To which Edmund replied: "There seems to be a discrepancy. I'm just saying the AFL categorically stated this morning that did not happen."
WHAT NEXT
As allegations against Rioli continue to make their way into the media, Edmund said that it is perhaps time to question whether or not the forward should be playing at the moment.
“Ken Hinkley speaking today and the Power are well aware of Rioli’s vulnerabilities in this area, so a question for them might have to be, is allowing Willie to continue playing the best thing for him right now?
“Without being privy to all the details, I think that's a reasonable question to ask.
“Rioli has become a problems for Port. They spelled things out in no uncertain terms to him yesterday I am told.
“Rioli has become a problems for Port. They spelled things out in no uncertain terms to him yesterday I am told.
"He appears to be struggling if his anger on the field is anything to go by.
“I think Port have got every right to be bordering on fed up with Willie, he’s become something of a problem over time.
“His willingness to jump straight on Instagram you’d want to counsel him on going forward.”
