Hawthorn great Cyril Rioli has lashed the “challenging” period he endured during the AFL draft combine in 2007.
The highly rated junior was among the leading prospects in 2007, but revealed he was subjected to a series of insults during the interview process.
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Rioli, who was taken by Hawthorn with pick No.12, revealed he was called “overweight” and “lazy” during the draft combine where prospects are subjected to a series of tests, as well as interviews with club recruiting staff.
“2007 AFL draft combine in Canberra. It was a challenging couple of days, I found it daunting. I remember being told during my interview process I was ‘overweight, lazy and won’t make it far in the industry’,” he wrote on Instagram.
“It only fuelled my fire.”
Rioli made his debut in Round 1 the following year and went on to play all 25 games in his first season, including the 2008 premiership side.
He quickly established himself as one of the premier small forwards of the modern era during a brilliant 10-year career, that includes a long list of accolades.
Rioli included a snippet of his accomplishments as a reminder to those who labelled him lazy.
“182 AFL games, 4 premierships, 3 All Australians and a Norm Smith by the age of 28. Pretty f***** lazy if you ask me,” he wrote.
Rioli’s post was met with a stack of comments and likes from current and former players, including AFL legend Eddie Betts, Melbourne gun Kysaiah Pickett and Collingwood’s Norm Smith medallist Bobby Hill.
While Rioli reached extraordinary heights as a player, he lost the passion to play and announced his shock retirement midway through the 2018 season at just 28 years of age.
It has since been reported he had a fallout with then-president Jeff Kennett amid racism allegations.
Rioli was also unmasked as a key protagonist in the ongoing Hawthorn racism saga in the wake of the AFL completing their investigation in June.
Rioli joined his wife Shannyn Ahsam-Rioli, former teammates Carl Peterson and Jermaine Miller-Lewis, and his wife Montanah, and former Hawks Indigenous manager Leon Egan in penning a shocking open letter in which they detail their side of the story so far.
Rioli joining his wife Shannyn Ahsam-Rioli, former teammates Carl Peterson and Jermaine Miller-Lewis, and his wife Montanah, and former Hawks Indigenous manager Leon Egan in penning a shocking open letter in which they detail their side of the story so far.
Rioli’s social post comes just after this year’s draft crop were tested at the combine over the weekend.
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