Troubled AFL star breaks silence ahead of his return to action

It has been almost two years since Willie Rioli last stepped onto an AFL ground, but his anxious wait is set to end on Saturday when the West Coast Eagles take on the Brisbane Lions in round 23, the last round of the regular season.

For the 26-year-old, it has been an arduous wait since he copped a two-year ban for tampering with a urine sample twice in 2019, having admitted to smoking marijuana the night before the drug test.

The race to the 2021 Toyota AFL Finals Series is on and every match matters. Watch Live & Ad-Break Free on Kayo. New to Kayo? Try 14-days free >

Rioli’s last game in the league was against Essendon in week one of the 2019 finals series, but simply crossing that white line on Saturday could be worth more than any future flag.

“It’ll mean a lot not only to me but my family who have been there through these hard times with me. It’ll mean the world,” Rioli said.

“It’s been a long, long, hard journey back but I’m grateful for it.

“It was mentally challenging but lucky enough I had great family support back home that helped pass the time. Waiting for the outcome was the hardest part but not knowing what my future was like.

Rioli will make his return for the Eagles against the Brisbane Lions on Saturday. Picture: Robert Cianflone/Getty ImagesSource:Supplied

Ahead of the ban ending, Rioli was permitted to return to training with the Eagles in late June this year.

However, Rioli was charged with possession of drugs during a routine screening operation at Darwin Airport in May, further clouding his position as an AFL player. The forward pleaded guilty and was given a 12-month good behaviour bond but, perhaps most importantly, his ban was not extended.

On Saturday, Rioli gets the perfect opportunity to repay the significant amount of faith showed in him by the Eagles. It is one he knows he must take with both hands.

“I had a bit of mixed emotions about (returning to the club). I learned to take things as they come,” Rioli said.

“Just excited for the next chapter on the journey. It was good to come back and do what I love doing and that’s play footy.

Footballer Willie Rioli leaves Darwin Local Court after allegedly being caught with cannabis while flying from Darwin to the Tiwi Islands. Picture: Che ChorleySource:News Corp Australia

“Lucky enough to have Peter Staples and Chance Bateman, who was at the club at the time, and Jamie Bennell, who came up to Darwin to visit me.

“They kind of kept my dream alive of playing AFL football again. Also everyone else around the club who stuck by me and believed in me.

“There were a few of the boys that I’ve become really close to and are like family to me now, so I guess the club is kind of a sanctuary and a safe place.”

The Eagles sit ninth on the ladder but equal on competition points with eighth-placed Essendon. They must beat Brisbane to stand any chance of making the finals series, and every West Coast fan will have their fingers and toes crossed in the hope Essendon stumble against Collingwood on Sunday.

Rioli’s return couldn’t come at a better time for a club in dire need of a jolt, having won just two of their last eight games.

Thankfully for Adam Simpson’s side, Rioli has kept himself very busy with his fitness during his spell on the sidelines.

“Yeah, lucky enough I kinda kept training back home to get me prepared for the training block down here, and I feel like my body is ready to go,” he said.

“I did a lot of training, a lot of fishing, hunting. Found employment back home and did a lot of the off-season running programs I’d saved along the way.

“Lucky we have a small gym back home that I got to use for my strength training.”

Source: Read Full Article