Hawthorn hero Cyril Rioli snubs club’s premiership celebrations

Hawthorn’s powerhouse premiership team from 2013-15 has celebrated the 10-year anniversary of its famous threepeat, with legends from far and wide joining the special event at Melbourne Town Hall on Friday night.

Fans were thrilled to see AFL great Lance Franklin — who joined Sydney after the 2013 premiership and then faced his old teammates in the 2014 grand final — at the function, and lesser lights such as Matt Spangher (2014 premiership player) and Ryan Schoenmakers (2015) were also celebrated.

Hawthorn’s social media account posted images of the event, saying, “Aura levels are off the charts.”

And a flood of comments followed as fans quickly noticed a heartbreaking detail.

“Someone missing,” one fan said.

While another asked: “Where’s Cyril?”

Of course, the sad fallout between Cyril Rioli and his former club has been well documented, but it still impossible to fathom for many idolising fans.

Rioli was an electrifying Hawthorn fan favourite, a four-time premiership hero, and a 2015 Norm Smith Medal winner.

“Where is Cyril? @jrboyrioli we miss you a lot! Please forgive us for any mistake we have done. We want you to join us as well,” one fan said.

And another: “I do miss Cyril. Hopefully under Mitchel he’ll feel comfortable enough to come back.”

“Wish Cyril would go 😢,” another fan said.

The fact is, the rift between Hawthorn and Rioli is so significant that it seems the former superstar will never embrace the club again.

And that cold hard reality is now starting to be realised by fans.

“Cyril will never come back. It’s sad,” one fan said.

Former captain and Channel 7 star Luke Hodge said earlier this year that Rioli was not “comfortable” with the idea of returning to the football club “just yet”.

“There’s been a number of guys that have reached out to Cyril. And we left on really good terms,” Hodge said on Channel 7’s The Agenda Setters.

“When he retired he sent me a message saying ‘thanks for all the development and help’. I’ve had no issues with Cyril ever, but it’s almost like he’s parted ways with everyone there.

“Even a lot of the mentors in that forward line (at the time he played) haven’t been able to connect with him either.”

Hodge caught up with Rioli in Round 10 this year when Gold Coast played Hawthorn in Darwin.

And cameras spotted Rioli cheering a Gold Coast goal.

“He had a fair smile on his face when Gold Coast kicked that goal,” Hodge said.

“I haven’t seen him since about 2018. I saw (Gold Coast CEO) Mark Evans talking to him so I just wanted to go across and say g’day.

“It was just good, he was looking great, he had a smile on his face, he said his cousin was flying out there and has made a real difference to the Gold Coast Suns.

“It was great to see him and Shannyn over there.”

Rioli’s cousin Daniel plays for the Suns, moving north at the end of last year after a premiership-winning career with Richmond.

“I just got told that he was here. I didn’t see him, I haven’t been in contact with him yet,” Daniel told Channel 7 after that game.

“It’s good to see him out here still watching the footy. I love him.

“The fans probably got around him, he’s so well known here in the Top End and he was a Hawks player himself. It’s good to see him here watching the footy.”

Master coach (and now North Melbourne boss) Alastair Clarkson was also a notable absentee, and former star Jordan Lewis reportedly could not attend due to commentary duties.