Why Indigenous AFL star Cyril Rioli - who became a recluse from the game over racism scandal - is making a stunning return to the field
The iconic exhibition match is returning for the first time in six years and will be played on August 28 at Marvel Stadium.
It's been 10 years since the Indigenous star claimed the 2015 Norm Smith Medal after an electrifying performance in Hawthorn's premiership triumph over West Coast.
The 36-year-old fan favourite retired in 2018 and has distanced himself from the game, including not showing up to Hawthorn's celebration of their premiership three-peat earlier this year.
Rioli's relationship with the Hawks soured over racism allegations during his years with the club - in a case that was settled in Federal Court last November.
The former half forward was the lead applicant in a statement of claim alongside his wife Shannyn, former players Carl Peterson and Jermaine Miller-Lewis, his partner Montanah-Rae Lewis and Hawthorn's former Indigenous liaison officer Leon Egan.
It was a saga which lasted more than two years after it first surfaced publicly in September of 2022.
Racism allegations were aimed against the Hawks, former coach Alastair Clarkson, his former assistant Chris Fagan and ex-welfare manager Jason Burt.
The trio were later cleared by the AFL of any alleged wrongdoing following an investigation.
The statement of claim included allegations of unlawful discrimination, including family separations and pressuring a pregnancy termination.
Rioli claimed that he was regularly subjected to comments that were 'culturally ignorant' during his time at the Hawks from 2008 to 2018.
It was reported the players and their families involved in the court proceedings were paid an undisclosed sum following the settlement agreement.
Rioli, who lives in Darwin, was recently announced as an assistant coach of Top End footy club the Jabiru Bombers - a team he played for last season and won a premiership with.
The footy star's return for Legends Game marks a huge step in repairing his relationship with the game, and will see him play alongside other greats including Nick Riewoldt, Luke Hodge and Gary Ablett Jr.
'We are thrilled to see this iconic event return and for footy fans to be able to watch all the action live and free on Seven and 7plus Sport,' said Seven's head of AFL and sport innovation Gary O'Keefe.
'To see a host of popular personalities, and AFL legends including our own Luke Hodge and Nick Riewoldt come out of retirement for such a great cause is important and will make for exciting viewing.'
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It is not often supporters are worried by rumours their club might be about to break their transfer that is what is happening among some Newcastle United fans as the Magpies explore a move for Eintracht Frankfurt forward Hugo Ekitike in a deal that could cost more than £ Premier League champions Liverpool also in the market for a central striker and known to have firm interest in Newcastle's Alexander Isak, it is inevitable some are drawing a certain Sport understands the Premier League champions have made a move towards a deal for the Sweden striker in recent days. They have also explored the parameters for other centre-forward to sources, it is believed a package to sign Isak could cost up to £130m - and the Magpies have been steadfast in their stance that their superstar striker is not for who know Newcastle believe they are trying to build a multi-layered attack capable of quickly switching who know Ekitike, who has also been linked with Liverpool, know him as a versatile forward capable of scoring from all sorts of have maintained throughout the summer that their top players - and Isak is certainly one of those - are not available for will Ekitike be a partner for Isak - or is there is a danger he could be his replacement? 'Message is still that Isak's not for sale' Isak, 25, joined Newcastle from Real Sociedad in 2022 for £ remains their record buy and Newcastle supporters will tell you he has been worth every penny. Over the past three seasons he has scored 54 league goals and that strike rate has led to him regularly been linked with a move the second half of last season Ekitike, like Isak, played as a lone striker. The 23-year-old scored 15 goals and contributed eight assists during the campaign as Frankfurt finished third in the Bundesliga. So, two players who play in a very similar way and a team that has generally played with just one central striker under Eddie Howe. Where could the Frenchman fit in?"It's not a given that Ekitike will play second fiddle to Isak - in fact there is a hope that they could play together," believes BBC Newcastle's Matthew Raisbeck."Newcastle like versatility. They tried to sign Chelsea's Joao Pedro this summer, who is another versatile striker. "I don't expect them to switch formation for the first game of the season, but this move would allow a greater scope to change tactics throughout the game."The message is still that Isak is not for sale. Newcastle are determined to keep him and don't need to sell for financial reasons. "They are in the Champions League next season and want to be competitive in the league and all the cups so, even before Callum Wilson left, they were always going to need another striker."Ekitike has the profile they want and allows the team to be so much more flexible tactically."Newcastle have quality but often at times last season lacked depth. This signing ticks both of those boxes." What Ekitike would bring to Newcastle - the stats Signing Ekitike could give Newcastle a pre-season selection statistics do suggest Isak and Ekitike have a lot of overlap in their play and have the same best position - playing as a lone played 98% of his Premier League minutes last season as a central striker, only briefly featuring on the left of a front three. His central role in Newcastle's attack is surely not to be messed with, given a return of 23 goals in 34 games?However, a similar argument could be made for Ekitike. He scored 15 league goals in 31 starts for Frankfurt last season and played as a striker 95% of the time. Newcastle are also well-stocked in wide areas, with Anthony Gordon, Harvey Barnes, Jacob Murphy and new £55m signing Anthony maps for both forwards show they share a tendency to get on the ball in the inside left channel, but with Ekitike roaming more freely and a little deeper. This perhaps offers encouragement to those who believe they can play alongside each other, with Ekitite at times dropping back to link with the midfielders. He is a provider as well as a scorer, ranking in the top 6% among forwards for creating chances in last season's Bundesliga. 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