Hawks shock: Rioli Announces his Retirement

[westdog54]

Hawks shock: Rioli announces his retirement - http://www.afl.com.au/news/2018-07-04/hawks-shock-rioli-announces-his-retirement

HAWTHORN star Cyril Rioli has announced his retirement, effective immediately.

Rioli, 28, has been on extended leave from the club to deal with personal matters in the Northern Territory.

Four-time premiership winner Rioli will return to Darwin to live.

"The decision to retire from football is something that I have thought long and hard about over the past 12 months. I've weighed everything up and I am confident the decision I've made is the right one for me and my family," he said in a statement on the Hawks website.


"Football has been my life but it's always been difficult being away from home. Now is the right time to go home and spend more time with friends and family.

"I love the Hawthorn Football Club and I cannot thank them enough for the opportunities they've given me and the way they've embraced me and my family over the past 11 years.

"I can walk away from the game having achieved everything I could have ever dreamed of and I'm forever grateful for the opportunities I have received.

“I'd like to thank the Hawthorn fans for all their support over the years, it has been an honour to play in front of you each week."


More to come

Honours
Premierships: 2008, 2013, 2014, 2015
Norm Smith Medal: 2015
All Australian: 2012, 2015, 2016
AFL Goal of the Year: 2009
Hawthorn best first-year player: 2008
Runner-up Hawks best and fairest: 2009, 2015

[The Bulldogs Bite]

Damn, really loved watching Cyril play.

A shame he's retiring but kudos to him for putting family first.

Wonderful footballer.

[Testekill]

Family always comes first.

[whythelongface]

Not often that you like players from an opposing team. Cyril is one of these as I admired his footballing ability.

Good luck to Cyril for the future.

[bulldogtragic]

Best of luck to him in the next phase of his life.

The flip side is not hearing Bruce say weird things about him.

[bornadog]

Great player, really impacted the team when he was playing.

[jeemak]

I called this to a Hawks mate a couple of weeks ago, such a shame though hopefully gets what he needs out of his next phase.

Someone check on Bruce please.

[Axe Man]

This is going to give the Hawks plenty of cash to throw at Tom Lynch or some other big name.

[choconmientay]

Great player to watch. Bad timing for us. Just hope he is not at the game this Saturday to give them extra motivation.

[Twodogs]

Hopefully this us all part of a cunning plan. Cyril cuts all his ties with Hawthorn and then halfway through next year announces that he is going to play the last half of the season with Footscray and then nominate for the PSD where he slides to us and becomes a three time premiership player with us. That would pay us back for all those premierships Hawthorn owe us for Brian Lake.

[bornadog]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DhOskDrU0AEWIYC.jpg

[Flamethrower]

Amazing player - only player I can remember who could get under 10 possessions and be clearly best on ground. Most dangerous player without the ball in history - he truly was an ambush predator.

[Twodogs]

Amazing player - only player I can remember who could get under 10 possessions and be clearly best on ground. Most dangerous player without the ball in history - he truly was an ambush predator.


You never saw Les Bamblett play? Now there was a man who could be BOG with half a dozen touches. Cyril was OK in comparison to Lally.

[ratsmac]

You never saw Les Bamblett play? Now there was a man who could be BOG with half a dozen touches. Cyril was OK in comparison to Lally.

Lally was electrifying!!