RIOLI CONTINUES FAMILY LEGACY AT THE BULLDOGS

The South Fremantle Football club is thrilled to announce the signing of silky half-back Ben Rioli for the 2020 season. Hailing from the famous St Mary’s Football Club in Darwin, as well as the NT Thunder, Rioli is set to continue the Rioli family’s proud legacy of playing for South Fremantle.

Further positioning the Bulldogs as ‘The Premier Family Club’, Ben is the son of the late Sebastian (Sibby) Rioli, and the nephew of the late Maurice Rioli, both former stars for Souths and trailblazers for the club’s strong ties to NT, and especially the Tiwi Islands community.

Ben’s brothers, Shannon and Dean, both represented South Fremantle, with Dean a member of the 1997 Premiership side prior to commencing an acclaimed 100 game career with the Essendon Football Club.

Ben’s pace and elite skill-level will prove fine assets for the Bulldogs 2020 Premiership aspirations and, having finished runner-up in the NT Thunder’s Best and Fairest in 2019, Rioli is at the peak of his game and ready to perform on the WAFL stage.

Marty Atkins, the club’s General Manager, Football and Community, knows just what the name Rioli means to the South Fremantle supporting community.

“Ben is an outstanding young man, and as we know, comes from a wonderful football family with strong ties to the South Fremantle Football club” Atkins said.

“To welcome another Rioli to the club is a really special outcome, in this our 120 ^th year, and I know our members are excited by what the future holds, with Ben calling Fremantle Community Bank Oval his home in 2020” Atkins concluded.

2020 is the club’s 120 ^th year – and there is no better time to join in the celebrations, and to come along and support Ben Rioli and teammates in action.

Become an official club member in 2020 – https://membership.sffc.com.au/