Willie Rioli allegedly threatened a Geelong player on the field during last season’s round nine clash with Port Adelaide at GMHBA Stadium.
Senior figures at both clubs confirmed the incident on Tuesday, which happened during the third quarter of the match and left the Cats player distressed, according to four sources familiar with the matter.
Willie Rioli celebrates a goal against Geelong last season.Credit: AFL Photos via Getty Images
They declined to speak publicly because of the sensitive nature of the situation, but two of the sources said Geelong football boss Andrew Mackie raised concerns with Port Adelaide after the game.
Rioli was then spoken to by Port football boss Chris Davies about the remark.
Claims of a previous incident involving Rioli come after the Power star apologised for sending a threatening message to a teammate of Western Bulldogs player Bailey Dale on the weekend.
After the Geelong incident, according to two Cats teammates, the player was urged to take the matter to the AFL, but the club elected not to do that at the request of the player, who did not want to risk the situation becoming public.
Neither the AFL, nor the AFL Players’ Association, was aware of the incident until they were contacted by this masthead on Tuesday.
Port Adelaide were contacted for comment, and Rioli was given an opportunity to respond via his club.
A senior Geelong figure confirmed the incident when asked about it on Tuesday, but was reluctant to provide any further detail out of respect for their player.
The Age has chosen not to reveal the identity of the Geelong player.
This masthead reported on Monday that Rioli’s online message after the Western Bulldogs game related to the Bulldogs’ trip to Darwin to play against Gold Coast on Saturday night, in particular a warning that Dale should be careful about leaving his hotel room.
Industry sources familiar with both incidents made the distinction between a verbal sledge on the field in the heat of the moment and a message sent directly to an opponent a day later.
Inflammatory comments on the field are not unusual in elite sport, but a threshold appears to have been reached with the round nine incident last year when Geelong deemed it necessary to raise concerns with Port Adelaide after the game. The Geelong player on the end of Rioli’s remark was upset by it, according to teammates.
The post-Ballarat message was investigated by the Bulldogs and Power, but the AFL took no further action against Rioli.
“The AFL has today spoken to both Port Adelaide and the Western Bulldogs and while confirming it will take no further action to that undertaken by the clubs and players, it has reminded both clubs to ensure any communications remain respectful”, the league statement read.
Rioli received a $1000 fine for striking Dale in the third quarter Port’s 90-point loss to the Bulldogs.
Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley will hold his weekly media conference on Wednesday ahead of the Showdown, where he will address the situation surrounding Rioli.
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