Despite being yet to return to the fold of his former AFL club, Indigenous champion Cyril Rioli attended Hawthorn's Indigenous round fixture against Gold Coast on Thursday night.

Rioli was spotted in the Maurice Rioli grandstand at Marrara Oval sitting with wife Shannyn Ah Sam-Rioli at a table amid the Hawks' narrow loss to the Suns.

TV cameras picked up Rioli gather to his feet to celebrate a snap goal from Gold Coast's Bailey Humphrey against his old side.

Images shared online after the match also captured Hawks premiership captain Luke Hodge catching up with Rioli.

Former Hawthorn teammate and Kokatha-Warai man Shaun Burgoyne was ecstatic to see Rioli attend the showcase game in Darwin.

"It is a great thing Cyril being back at the footy," Burgoyne said during the TV broadcast.

"As a Hawthorn great, Hawthorn people love seeing him involved.

"Getting back to the footy is the first step for him.

"We'll get him to enjoy watching Hawthorn play again.

"I'm not sure if it is on behalf of Hawthorn that he is here or if it is on his own accord."

Rioli's appearance for the opening match of this year's Sir Doug Nicholls Indigenous rounds in his home city was the first time the 35-year-old has attended a fixture involving the Hawks since retiring prematurely in 2018, before later taking the club to mediation and to court after resolution talks broke down last year.

Rioli claimed First Nations players, their partners and an Indigenous staffer all endured racism during their time at Hawthorn.

It has also been revealed the four-time premiership player and Indigenous former teammates, Jermaine Miller-Lewis and Carl Peterson, had been invited to attend Hawthorn's 100th anniversary match nearly 11 days earlier which celebrated the club's admission into the VFL in 1925.

Rioli was in Melbourne a day earlier than the Sunday commemoration at the MCG to watch his nephew play for his former school, Scotch College, but still declined the invitation.