Port coach Ken Hinkley has hit out at racist abuse of Willie Rioli as the forward returned to training
By AAP with staff writers
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Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are warned that the following article contains the name of a deceased person.
PORT Adelaide's Willie Rioli has returned to training as his coach labels racist abuse of the forward a "disgrace".
Coach Ken Hinkley says there should be stronger laws to hold social media account owners accountable.
Rioli has shut down his social media accounts after being the latest Indigenous AFL star to be racially abused.
"It's a disgrace," Hinkley told reporters on Wednesday.
"It's a disgrace the racism that still goes on in our world. With the way we talk about lots of things in society, and yet that is still tolerated and still allowed to go on.
Willie Rioli shows Hawthorn the footy before kicking a major to aggravate the travelling side even further
"There almost should be a law that makes people accountable."
Late in Sunday night's win over Hawthorn, Rioli theatrically held the ball out at Hawk Changkuoth Jiath before scoring from the goal line.
Jiath pushed the Power forward over, triggering a melee – and a free kick to Rioli, who promptly kicked another goal.
Rioli posted the incident in an Instagram story with the caption: "Play with fire, you're gonna get burnt. My hatred for this club goes way pass (sic) last year('s) antics, what they did to my dad, and my brother, is why I can't stand them. Not the players."
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The Port goalsneak has since deleted his account.
"It's sad that for his own wellbeing, he needs to do that, I think that's really sad," Hinkley said.
Rioli returned to training on Wednesday morning after a day away from Alberton.
"He's fine and he's OK," Hinkley said.
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"He's here today, as you would have seen, took a little bit of time to deal with what he was dealing with, but he'll be OK and he'll be available to play."
Rioli has been subjected to racial abuse online almost weekly.
"It's for every game he plays like this, it doesn't just happen against Hawthorn," Hinkley said.
"That's the thing we've got to understand, that this happens to Willie Rioli more than any other person that I've been involved with, that he cops that type of abuse."
Hinkley said it wasn't his place to speak to Rioli's reference of hatred for Hawthorn.
"The feelings about the Hawthorn stuff, I think that's not for me to talk about," he said.
"That's his history and his family's history and everything else that's gone on.
"We respect the Hawthorn Football Club.
"There's nothing in my mind that's got anything to do with Hawthorn other than Willie, he's got his own little challenges there."
Rioli's father Willie snr, who died in 2022, was drafted by the Hawks in 1990 but didn't play a senior game.
His cousin Cyril Rioli, a four-time premiership Hawk, and other former Hawthorn Indigenous players last year settled a Federal Court case with the club over racism claims.
Hinkley called for greater debate about stopping online abuse.
"We don't know the answer, what can be done better or more?" he said.
"It seems like it's most common sense people and really good people understand that's a no-go zone and it should be a no-go zone.
"But some fools of this world don't change."
