For a while i thought he along with Hird were the clear most damaging players on our list.
What are your favourite memories of Dean? thoughts on him as a player?
I remember him smashing through the centre at pace and hitting blokes laces out, perhaps a career game against port comes to mind... just a supremely skilled athlete in a non athletes body.
As a non Victorian I don't get to see many games but did see Rioli cut up St Kilda (maybe 2005/6), when they were clear favourites to win,including a hip and shoulder on Lenny Hayes that really rattled him (hard to do).
Lots of contested possessions and beautiful foot skills.
Really liked him
I really, truly, really absolutely LOVE Dean Rioli…
My favourite bomber behind the great man Hirdy
silky skills
He was one of my favourites. He was absolutely shattered not to have played in a premiership with Longy. Deserved one. He was sensational. Never forget the hurtful and ignorant comments made by Walls.
I will never forget that game against the Saints in 2001. He was just brilliant!
Every game I watched him play was a joy.
Loved Dean Riolo, all class.
His size/shape belied his agility.
My favourite memory of Dean (besides on field) was off field.
Took my son to Mosquito Fleet during school holidays once (he was 8), while the kids were having a break, Dean was off to one side and gave me the best smile and we had chat, it was like we had known each forever.
Didn't think I could like him more than I aready did, great guy, like turned to love. My son was mighty impressed also. :)
A few plays stick in my mind. Immense amount of talent.
1. Versus West Coast Eagles (EDIT: thanks Bombers08- Collingwood was the team I am thinking of) 42 seconds left on the clock. Fletcher has the ball and is kicking it in. Commentators go Essendon will look to kill time. Fletcher pinpoints 50m pass to Rioli who takes exactly fifteen steps streaming down the middle and delivers the ball to Lloyd who scores. Sheer brilliance.
2. In a key marking contest he jumped up early so the guy on him went early and then read the ball and marked it. Do not recall the game.
3. Sold candy amazingly well in some game.
No. 1 was against Collingwood, not WCE
In my top 10 Essendon players I have seen live.
One of the most talented players I’ve seen, but for much of his career was overweight and not able to play to his full ability for the whole game. He was desperately unlucky in 2000. He had played all year and fully deserved his place in that sensational team, but he broke his collarbone late in the season and missed the finals. I saw it happen; it was just a bump that happened to catch him just on the wrong spot after he’d taken a mark, nothing unfair about it, and you could see the pain flash across his face. To make it worse, the umpire then gave him the hurry-up for wasting time.
In 2001 he was just as good and determined to be there at the end. He was, and he was one of our better players on the day, but the result was not what he personally deserved.
My favorite memory was going to the R22 game v Melbourne in 1999.
My son was 6 at the time, and I took him to his 3rd ever game.
We were meeting a mate from the country who played country footy and didn't get to many games.
I knew he would be asking the little fella all sorts of questions, so I prepped him.
When Alfie asks who your favourite player is, who are you going to say?
Now we'd been to a couple of games that year.
Matthew Lloyd kicked 13 in his first game. He might have been a chance.
Dustin Fletcher was nice to him at an Auskick day, told him he had a brother named Lachlan, he might have been a chance.
We'd been to preseason training at Essendon Grammar and got a photo with James Hird. He might have been a chance.
No.
Little bloke's answer. Dean Rioli.
Dean Rioli? Why Dean Rioli? He's only played a handful of games.
Cos he does tricks.
He gets them, and he goes like this (baulks) and they can't tackle him. And then he kicks goals.
Forever in our family HDT (which I have on a model Torana from Bathurst) meant He Does Tricks.
OK.. My best memory of Dean was at the last AFL game played at Waverley
It was part of the Ansett Cup in early 2000, Colonial was supposed to have
been up and running by then, but was still unfinished so they played games
there with the pre-season granny played at the MCG..
It was against Hawthorn, and he broke out of the pack in the centre square
running towards goal with Lloyd leading towards him. A Hawthorn player left
his man on the flank and ran directly at Rioli, it was a shirtfront waiting to happen.
Dean drilled Lloyd lace out and at the last second saw the bloke charging him,
he quickly braced himself and the Hawk player dropped like ■■■■!
It all happened so quickly and it was beautiful.. That ■■■■■■■■■■■■ had style!
Can vaguely remember a gunbarrell straight torp on the run against WCE I think, night game late '99. One of the most skilful players I've ever seen, probably needed to be born 10 years earlier before the game started becoming uber professional and more running based.
He was one of my favourites. He was absolutely shattered not to have played in a premiership with Longy. Deserved one. He was sensational. Never forget the hurtful and ignorant comments made by Walls.
??
He was one of my favourites. He was absolutely shattered not to have played in a premiership with Longy. Deserved one. He was sensational. Never forget the hurtful and ignorant comments made by Walls.
??
Think it was Tony Shaw who had the 'fat pig' comment - can't recall anything like that from Walls, wouldn't discount it though!
My favorite memory was going to the R22 game v Melbourne in 1999.
My son was 6 at the time, and I took him to his 3rd ever game.
We were meeting a mate from the country who played country footy and didn't get to many games.
I knew he would be asking the little fella all sorts of questions, so I prepped him.
When Alfie asks who your favourite player is, who are you going to say?
Now we'd been to a couple of games that year.
Matthew Lloyd kicked 13 in his first game. He might have been a chance.
Dustin Fletcher was nice to him at an Auskick day, told him he had a brother named Lachlan, he might have been a chance.
We'd been to preseason training at Essendon Grammar and got a photo with James Hird. He might have been a chance.
No.
Little bloke's answer. Dean Rioli.
Dean Rioli? Why Dean Rioli? He's only played a handful of games.
Cos he does tricks.
He gets them, and he goes like this (baulks) and they can't tackle him. And then he kicks goals.
Forever in our family HDT (which I have on a model Torana from Bathurst) meant He Does Tricks.
Bums on seats. Memberships. Merchandise. Memories. Goals.
At the risk of sounding like Benfti, this is why you draft exciting players where you can.
Because they capture an audience - particularly kids, who go on to be the lifeblood of the club. 15-20 years from now, every 2nd person will be a Hawforn nuffy because of Cyril and Buddy.
Not every player has to be a 200 game veteran destined for the leadership group.
In my top 10 Essendon players I have seen live.
In my top 10 Essendon players I have seen live.
Have you seen any ESSENDON players die?
For at least a half a game most weeks.