Daniel Rioli was in the news in footy media this week as the target of a big money offer by the Gold Coast Suns, no doubt influenced heavily by his old coach Damien Hardwick. The 27-year-old still has plenty to offer on field, and is staring at some long years at Tigerland as they descend into rebuilding doldrums. No one should begrudge him a move to brighter climes after giving sterling service to Richmond, and his owners in fantasy leagues would also welcome him playing for a team with better structure around him than the Tigers will provide.
Daniel Rioli was in the news in footy media this week as the target of a big money offer by the Gold Coast Suns, no doubt influenced heavily by his old coach Damien Hardwick. The 27-year-old still has plenty to offer on field, and is staring at some long years at Tigerland as they descend into rebuilding doldrums. No one should begrudge him a move to brighter climes after giving sterling service to Richmond, and his owners in fantasy leagues would also welcome him playing for a team with better structure around him than the Tigers will provide.
Daniel Rioli has completed a move to half back in the second half of 2021, after putting in a lot of unimpressive performances as a small forward in a Richmond attack that really could have used him working on all cylinders. Life is easier behind the ball, and he has put together a string of startable scores to reward any fantasy coach in draft leagues who picked him off the free agent pool. Shane Edwards played this role last year as well before reverting to his usual mid/forward slot, and there's no guarantee that Rioli won't swap positions again with Liam Baker.
Daniel Rioli has had a career filled with the highest of highs and lately much more of the lowest of lows, dropped several times as he dropped towards the fringes of senior selection. A rethink on his role in the VFL has seen him regain confidence as a half back flanker, a move which also helped Shane Edwards at times in recent years. Richmond need another rebounding sprinter to replace Bachar Houli, and while they already have a few workhorses in that area they could really do with Rioli's irreplaceable physical talents. One to watch for future fantasy relevance.
Daniel Rioli has spent some time in the footy wilderness in 2020 after a very quiet start to the season, but his return to the senior side for the last three games has been very promising with two startable fantasy scores among them. Richmond's gameplan is evolving away from an all-ground pressure plan to a more conventional set up, and with Shai Bolton converted into an inside mid there is enough talent in Rioli to see him become a legitimate fantasy asset with enough work on the outside to deliver a respectable average. He is a stock on the rise.
Daniel in the tigers' den
It seems that it is necessary to have a Rioli in your team to win a flag these days, and Daniel Rioli was the designated man for Richmond last season. His basic stat sheet drifted downward in volume as he copped four in-game knocks in his first seven, and was eventually rested and sent to the VFL before a return in round 12. Rioli's game is all about quality not quantity. He was groomed in preseason to run through midfield but that proved too much for his frame, and perhaps the mid-season move of Shane Edwards to half back was the final straw for the coaches to leave him deep forward. His ceiling is just not high enough for fantasy purposes.
Quality in young Rioli
After a second year where four of his 22 starts were below the forward baseline, Daniel Rioli lifted that rate to five out of 10 last season despite a very late start due to the ankle injury he sustained in the 2017 grand final. The improvement came not from his goal rate, which was still one per game, but a disposal average reaching a still-low 14. Despite the instructions from Damien Hardwick to most of his small forwards to concentrate on pressure over ballwinnning, the class that the Rioli family shows with leather in palm is inevitably going to override that thought which means the youngest member of the clan will be encouraged to seek the pill. He is due more natural progression and should be picked up late.
Fame follows Rioli
Playing the role of Cyril Rioli in Richmond's sequel to the 2008 flag was his cousin Daniel Rioli, who was in his second season but just as inspiring to his teammates in playing every game. He is not an accumulator of the footy, nonetheless, not often venturing far into double figures in disposals. He posted his first fantasy ton in the final against the Giants when he booted four goals from 14 touches. It took three years for Cyril to find his most productive form which is now quite startable, but Daniel looks to be a different kind of player who won't spend as much time rotating in midfield. The younger Rioli is likely to develop into a deep forward pocket and, while he is due for some natural progression in his numbers, he starts more than 20 points behind baseline for a forward which is too far back to be draftable.
