It could be standing room only at the Tongala Recreation Reserve on Saturday, June 27.

That is the day the Blues will tackle reigning premier Cobram with arguably the recruit of the century in its side.

Former Hawthorn champion Cyril Rioli has agreed to play a one-off game with the Jordan Souter coached Tongala.

Rioli, one of the most exciting players ever to play VFL/AFL, has only played in Victoria once since 2018 when he sensationally retired from a memorable career with Hawthorn.

That was in last year’s Ej Whitten Legends game, where he was named man of the match in the All-Stars win over Victoria.

Now 36 years old, Rioli finished his decorated 189-game career with the Hawks with four premierships and the 2015 Norm Smith Medal.

Tongala president Daniel Cox said getting Rioli to Tongala was pulled off because of the club’s close connections with Darwin players.

Northern Territory Football League coach Chris Baksh is a former Tongala player and current Blues player Cam Ilett is also a legend of the Top-End competition.

Cox said these connections helped to get Rioli to commit to a one-off appearance with the Blues.

Cox predicted Rioli’s appearance could be one of the best attended games in the club’s history, and he expected the entire town to support the recruiting coup.

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Friday, 7th August 2026

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