Richmond will proudly wear the Club’s 2024 Honouring Generations Dreamtime jumper for next weekend’s AFLW Dreamtime clash in Darwin.
Designed by Maurice Rioli Jnr and his mother, Alberta Kerinauia, the design speaks of the deep connection between the Rioli family and the Richmond Football Club.
Maurice Rioli Senior played 118 matches for Richmond and was a Norm Smith and Jack Dyer Medallist.
Fittingly, the two-family totems—the turtle (father) and the crocodile (mother)—represent family ties to the Tiwi Islands, just 100km north of where the AFLW Dreamtime fixture will be played.
Richmond’s AFLW Dreamtime design will have the same symbolism throughout the pattern in the sash of what was in the AFL match, but it is predominantly yellow.
“My mum is an artist, so I thought I would get her to do it with me. Obviously, she is special to me, so why not do it together? I can’t wait to put it on,” Rioli Jnr said of creating the design.
This design will be especially meaningful to Maurice’s home community of Pirlangimpi, located on the northwest coast of Tiwi’s Melville Island.
The spears on the back of the jumper depict those used for hunting or battle in the Tiwi Islands. The spears have been used to provide food and provide for families; they represent Maurice’s ancestors going into battle to defend their family.
A line that runs through the sash illustrates the path that Maurice Rioli Snr created for Maurice Junior, along with the help and support from his mother.
The patterns on the side of the jumper signify the numerous people that have helped him on his journey, including Korin Gamadji which based out of Punt Road Oval’s Maurice Rioli Centre, inspires Indigenous youth male and female to be leaders in their community.
Richmond and Essendon will clash at TIO Stadium for the first Dreamtime in Darwin AFLW match, with the elite women’s match to inspire future generations of female football stars in the Northern Territory.
Rioli’s younger sister, Maria, has played regularly in the popular Northern Territory Women’s Football League.
The design is the Club’s fifth Indigenous guernsey worn by the AFLW team, adding to the 14 that have proudly been worn in Dreamtime at the ‘G clashes.
Richmond meets Essendon on Saturday, October 26, at TIO Stadium. Tickets are still available, and the match will be broadcast live on Channel 7 and Kayo Sports.
