Port Adelaide goalsneak Willie Rioli has solely added to the intensifying feud between the Energy and Hawthorn, teeing off on the Hawks in a since-deleted Instagram put up following their upset win.
The Energy reignited their spluttering season with a 30-point win on Sunday night time to complete Collect Spherical, together with a surprising begin through which they led by as a lot as 71 factors halfway by way of the second quarter.
Rioli was on the centre of a significant skirmish on a heated night time, cheekily displaying Hawks defender Changkuoth Jiath the ball earlier than kicking the game-sealing objective within the closing quarter, with Jiath reacting by shoving Rioli to the bottom and making a gift of a second free kick and objective, whereas additionally triggering a heated fracas.
It was certainly one of a number of spotfires that pockmarked the night, with the Energy and Hawks solely including to their creating rivalry that started after Port’s thrilling semi closing win final 12 months, when coach Ken Hinkley taunted Hawks gun Jack Ginnivan over a social media remark to spark a heated confrontation between the coach and Hawks captain James Sicily.
Taking to Instagram after the win, Rioli revealed his ‘hatred’ for the Hawks goes past any of his teammates, referring to the membership’s remedy of well-known cousin Cyril, who not too long ago took the membership to court docket over racism allegations, and father Willie Sr, who was on the Hawks for one 12 months in 1991 earlier than being delisted.
“Play with hearth, your [sic] gonna get burnt,” Rioli wrote.
“My hatred for this membership goes means move [sic] final 12 months antics, what they did to my dad, an [sic] my brother [Cyril Rioli], is why I can’t stand them, not the gamers #Cococlub.”
The put up has since been deleted.
The rivalry prolonged to Energy supporters, who taunted Hawks gamers as they left the Adelaide Oval with ‘aeroplane’ gestures, in reference to Hinkley’s mockery of Ginnivan.
Talking after the match, Hinkley downplayed the budding rivalry and his personal position in reigniting it.
“The rivalry in sport is nice… we generally overplay it just a little bit,” he mentioned.
“Either side will embrace rivalry and we all the time are up for any of these kinds of issues however let’s not allow them to go too far the fallacious means.”
