Could four-time premiership Hawk Cyril Rioli make a shock return to the AFL?
Brisbane Lions veteran recruit Luke Hodge has brushed off any suggestion that he's making a play to attract Rioli to the Gabba next season.
Rioli, a great of the league's modern era, announced his startling retirement last month, stating he would be proceeding to move back to the Northern Territory to be with his family.
Former Geelong and Adelaide player Ronnie Burns sensationally claimed onย The Marngrook Footy Showย on Wednesday night that Hodge, Rioli's ex-teammate and captain, was wanting to lure Rioli toward Brisbane.
BREAKING NEWS: Ronnie confirms the strong rumour that Luke Hodge is pushing to get Cyril Rioli at the @brisbanelions next season.#marngrook
— Marngrook Footy Show (@marngrook) August 8, 2018
But Hodge laughed off Burns' on-air remarks on social media
โ โฆ first Iโve heard of it mate,โ Hodge said on Twitter on Wednesday night.
โWould love to know his source though.โ
๐คฃ๐คฃ first Iโve heard of it mate. Would love to know his source though. https://t.co/u0Pd3NGDpU
— Luke Hodge (@LHodge15) August 8, 2018
On Thursday morning, Ramanauskas confirmed four clubs had contacted him regarding Rioli's services, but absolutely nothing had eventuated.
โFirst Iโve heard of that,โ Ramanauskas told RSN927 of Burnsโ comments.
โIโve had four clubs contact me on Cyril Rioli and that was probably two week after he decided to retire and there has been no further conversation from any of those four clubs.โ
Asked how heโd left those conversations with clubs, Ramanauskas said: โNo โฆ No, he wonโt be playing.
โHeโs going to Darwin to live and to start the next phase of his life.โ
"First I've heard of that. I've had 4 clubs contact me on Cyril Rioli and there has been no further conversation. No, he won't be playing."
Adam Ramanauskas on Cyril Rioli #RSNBreakfastClub pic.twitter.com/cEkAkcFRTS
— RSN Breakfast Club (@RSNBreakfast) August 8, 2018
Rioli, 29, is a three time All-Australian and has won a Norm Smith medal. He played 189 games, but played only 11 in his final two seasons due to ongoing injury concerns.
Despite all the rumours being thrown around, Essendon icon Tim Watson said it made sense for rival clubs to contact Rioli.
Why wouldnโt you pick up the phone and make that call?,โ Watson toldย SEN Breakfast.
โI wouldnโt be shocked at all (if Rioli came out of retirement).โ
Burns, who sparked the discussion, has this morning onย SEN Breakfastย said he was speaking more speculatively.
โIโve got a good source from up north, obviously Darwinโs a small place and this person rang me and said thereโs a little bit of a whisper about the Brisbane Lions (chasing Cyril Rioli) and I said that wouldnโt surprise me because of the coach who has a relationship with Hawthorn and obviously Hodge,โ he toldย SEN Breakfast.
โThen it just came about and I said maybe Hodgeyโs had a word with him and look weโve all been in the system and I went from Geelong to Adelaide because of my relationship with Gary Ayres and I thought it wouldnโt surprise me.
โNo one expected Hodgey to go to the Brisbane Lions and then it just came about so I just had a chat with a person I know where Iโve sort of got this information.
โI sort of just mentioned it on the Marngrook Footy Show and thatโs how it came about.
โIโm not saying that it was Hodgey, Iโm just saying maybe it was Hodgey because they played in a premiership together, but maybe my sources got it wrong.โ
Regardless of what's been said, Burns believes that the ties between Rioli and the Lions work quite nicely.
โRioli being 28 and having some issues going home and that sort of stuff, Brisbaneโs only three hours on a plane from Darwin, the weather, the young side, it all sort of just fits,โ he said.
โI know heโs working up there as well so sometimes people come out of football and may just go through a phase where they probably miss it.โ
