Members of Maurice’s family were present as a unique portrait of the dual Jack Dyer Medallist and 1982 Norm Smith Medallist was revealed to the assembled guests, to accompany the naming of the room.
“At Richmond, we are extremely proud of our history and of those individuals, players and volunteers, who have built the Club into what it is. There’s no doubt Maurice Rioli was a very significant figure in the history of our Club, so we have a responsibility to celebrate his legacy,” said the Tigers’ CEO Brendon Gale.
“Maurice was a champion of this football club, but he was also a champion of his people.
“He worked hard to Close the Gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australia and create opportunities for young Indigenous people.
“We believe this is a place that Maurice would be really proud of - a place embedded in Tigerland that is dedicated to supporting Indigenous youth.
“Naming this The Maurice Rioli Room is entirely appropriate, given his life transcended this football club and everything this Institute stands for.“On behalf of the entire Club, our members and supporters, it is with great pride that we today unveil The Maurice Rioli Room.”
Host of the function, five-time Richmond premiership hero and Club ‘Immortal’, Kevin Bartlett, described Maurice as “an extraordinary player”.
“I played just the two years with Maurice - 1982 and 1983 - but when I picked the best team of Richmond players I had played with, in a book I did recently, I had no hesitation in including him in it,” Bartlett said.
“In 1982, which was his first year at Richmond, we made the Grand Final and he won our Best and Fairest.
In 1983, he lost the Brownlow Medal to Ross Glendinning by one vote and, if he had have won, he would have been the first Indigenous player to win the game’s most coveted individual award.
“Francis Bourke believes Maurice was the greatest tackler to ever play the game. His chasing and harassment of the opposition was amazing, as was his ability to zig-zag his way out of trouble.
“He was loved by all his teammates at Richmond. He was very quietly spoken, but a person of great determination.”
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