How Daniel Rioli turned around his Richmond career with surprise move to half-back

“Are you kidding me?”

That was Daniel Rioli’s first thought when Damien Hardwick floated the idea of turning the three-time premiership forward into a defender.

Rioli had always been a forward. Actually, let’s rephrase that: Riolis are meant to be forwards. It hadn’t really been in the famous family’s DNA to play at the other end of the ground. Where was the fun in that? Riolis kick goals, they don’t stop them!

But Rioli needed a circuit-breaker. Yes, he’d won three AFL premierships in his first five seasons on Richmond’s list. But he also kept getting dropped. It happened in 2019 and 2020. Both years he made it back to play all the Tigers’ finals, and finished the seasons with his second and third premiership medallions respectively. Yet when it happened again last year, Tigers coach Hardwick said something had to give.

He went for the magnet board and found the one with Rioli’s name on it.

“You don’t want to get pushed back in the VFL,” Rioli says, reflecting on that time.

“It’s not my decision to tell the coaches that I don’t want to play in the VFL. They put me in there. I didn’t want to be there, but I had to put my best foot forward and try to stay positive.”

It turned out that the way forward was to go backwards. Hardwick suggested the idea of a switch to the half-back line. Rioli took a bit of convincing.

“Obviously I was having my ups and downs as a half-forward. Dimma [Hardwick] questioned whether I wanted to play in the backline. My first answer was, ‘Are you kidding me? What are you doing?’

“But I embraced the challenge and I said, ‘Why not?’ I played two games in the VFL as a half-back player and from there, I thought it really plays into my game style, it really suits it. I’m pretty fast, pretty quick. I think me transitioning into the backline really suits my game style. Hopefully continue some good form now. It’s been going well.”

The man who taught Rioli the most about being a defender was the man whose job he would end up taking. Bachar Houli had been a mainstay as a small rebounding backman during the modern dynasty years at Punt Road, but was coming towards the end of a storied career.

Hardwick could see the potential.

“He‘s played a really diligent role across that half-forward line but we want to broaden his horizons, so he’ll play some half-back on the weekend to give us some run and carry,” Hardwick said around the midway point of last season about Rioli’s prospects as a defender.

“He’s an incredible talent. We’ve just got to make sure, me especially, we get the very best out of Daniel.

“The game consistently challenges us to change, so Daniel‘s got to change with it. We’re excited about the prospect of what he could become behind the ball.

“He can run, he can kick it, he can dispose of it really well, so it’s going to be one step back to take two steps forward.”

Houli had been keen to play on into 2022, but the success of Rioli’s move to half-back in the latter third of last season meant the Tigers weren’t as reliant on the 2019 All-Australian.

Eventually he decided to call time on his playing days. However, if you watch Rioli play his new role, you can sense the Houli influence.

“I had Bachar when I first moved down back. He’d always go out of his way to go through some vision with me. How to run offensively to get the ball and how to defend at the same time,” Rioli says.

“To have a guy like that who’s been there for numerous years, he’s been a massive help for me. And obviously the coaching staff as well, they had belief in me that I could play that role. It’s been going well so far.”

The move has continued to reap dividends into 2022. Rioli has played every game so far and no longer looks in any serious danger of losing his spot. On Saturday night in the Dreamtime game against Essendon, he polled a vote in the Yiooken Award for best afield, providing excellent drive through 22 disposals.

The script was flipped but the spin-off is probably better than the original.

“It was a tough time, a tough period back then. But I’m kind of glad that it happened because if I didn’t, I’d still be a small forward not having an impact,” Rioli says.

“I think it was a blessing in disguise. I think I’m playing good footy now, so hopefully I can continue that form now, and I’m going to take it with both hands and embrace every opportunity I get.

“I never thought I’d play in the backline in a million years. The change was a bit strange. But now I feel like the more games I play, I feel like a real backman now. I’ve got good help alongside me with the back six.”

And with every passing game, Rioli’s value increases. Both to the team and probably his contract, which expires at season’s end.

“No updates at the moment. I’m trying to play some good footy at the moment, focus day by day, play some good footy hopefully. Obviously the contract [talks] will eventually come. That’s not a distraction to me at the moment. The coaches are pretty awesome. They don’t harass me about the contract. I’m going well now, so I’m happy. I feel motivated every game I go into.”

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For now, he’s just enjoying playing in a Richmond side that has strung together four straight wins, including Saturday night’s victory over the Bombers, the first time Rioli had played the Dreamtime game with his uncle Maurice Jr, who is six years younger than Daniel.

“It gets better and better every year,” Daniel says of the night.

“It’s pretty special to be a part of it and I’m pretty grateful for this opportunity. It’s a special occasion, not only for the Indigenous players.”