Richmond great and indigenous leader Maurice Rioli is one of six inductees into the AFL Hall of Fame.
Rioli, who won the Norm Smith Medal in the Tigers’ losing 1982 grand final, was posthumously inducted into the Hall of Fame at a gala ceremony on Tuesday night at Melbourne’s Crown Palladium.
He joined the exclusive club along with triple premiership Brisbane Lion Nigel Lappin, Adelaide dual-premiership defender Ben Hart, St Kilda premiership full-back Verdun Howell, East Fremantle Sandover Medallist Ray Sorrell and Sturt seven-time SANFL flag winner Paul Bagshaw.
Rioli, a trailblazer for his people and his family and whose name has become synonymous with footballing brilliance, suffered a fatal heart attack on Christmas Day, 2010.
He was the uncle of former Essendon player Dean Rioli, who accepted the award with Rioli’s son Gavin.
Hawthorn’s Norm Smith medallist Cyril Rioli and Richmond youngster Daniel Rioli carry on the family name at the elite level.
This year’s induction ceremony did not include the elevation of a current Hall of Fame member to ‘legend’ status. St Kilda and Sydney great Tony Lockett was the last member to be afforded that honour last year.
The class of 2016 swells the Hall of Fame’s numbers to 269 inductees.
AFL HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES FOR 2016:
MAURICE RIOLI:
* 168 games for South Fremantle 1975-81 and 1988-90, kicking 133 goals
* 118 games for Richmond 1982-87, kicking 80 goals
* South Fremantle premiership 1980
* Simpson Medallist 1980, 1981, 1983
* Norm Smith Medallist 1982
* Richmond Best and Fairest 1982, 1983
* Indigenous Team of the Century
* Western Australia Hall of Fame (2004)
* Northern Territory Hall of Fame, Legend (2010)
PAUL BAGSHAW:
* 360 games for Sturt 1964-80, kicking 258 goals
* Sturt premiership 1966-70, 1974, 1976
* Sturt best and fairest 1966, 1969-71, 1977
* Sturt leading goalkicker 1978
* Sturt captain 1973-80
* Sturt Team of the Century
* SA Hall of Fame
BEN HART:
* 311 games for Adelaide 1992-2006, kicking 45 goals
* 27 games for North Adelaide 1990-92 and 2007, kicking four goals
* Eight games for South Australia
* Crows premiership 1997, 1998
* Adelaide best and fairest 1999, 2002
* All Australian 1992-93, 1999, 2002
VERDUN HOWELL:
* 159 games for St Kilda 1958-68, kicking 59 goals
* Nine games for Victoria
* St Kilda premiership 1966
* Brownlow Medallist 1959
* St Kilda best and fairest 1959
* St Kilda Team of the Century
NIGEL LAPPIN:
* 279 games for the Brisbane Lions 1994-2008, kicking 174 goals
* Three games for Victoria, kicking two goals
* Lions premierships 2001-03
* Brisbane best and fairest 2004
* Lions captain 2007-08
* All Australian 2001-04
RAY SORRELL:
* 155 games for East Fremantle 1956-63 and 1966-67, kicking 55 goals
* 23 games for South Fremantle 1964-65, kicking eight goals
* East Fremantle best and fairest 1957, 1963
* Sandover Medallist 1961, 1963
* East Fremantle Team of the Century
* WA Hall of Fame (2004)
