Rioli’s homecoming headlines Tiwi Bombers’ off-season moves

Jackson Clark Published September 22, 2025 at 3.30pm (AWST)

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Former Port Adelaide and West Coast player Willie Rioli is set to return to the Tiwi Bombers. (Image: AFL)

Former Port Adelaide and West Coast small forward Willie Rioli is set to make his long-awaited return to the Tiwi Bombers for the upcoming Northern Territory Football League season.

There had been speculation about where the silky-skilled 30-year-old would land – with St Marys and Waratah both circling – but all signs now point to Rioli pulling on the red and black once again.

It will mark a homecoming of sorts, with Rioli having previously represented the Bombers before being drafted by West Coast in the 2017 AFL National Draft.

Rioli retired from the AFL at the end of the 2025 season after 109 games and 151 goals for the Power and the Eagles.

The talented Tiwi Islander burst onto the AFL scene in 2018 and was a member of West Coast's premiership team later that season.

The Tiwi Bombers' forward line will receive another major boost with the signing of Central Australian star Nigel Lockyer.

The medium-sized forward has been one of the CAFL's most consistent performers over the past decade, winning the Minahan Medal as the league's best-and-fairest in 2021 while also topping the goalkicking charts in the same season.

Lockyer also adds valuable state league experience, having played more than 50 SANFL matches for North Adelaide.

Known for his athleticism and ability to hit the scoreboard from anywhere, he looms as a dangerous option inside the Bombers' attacking 50.

*Willie Rioli celebrates a goal for Port Adelaide. (Image: AFL)*

Adding further excitement, Rioli's former Port Adelaide teammate Jeremy Finlayson has also been linked to the Bombers, in what would be another major coup for the club.

The Tiwi Bombers showed significant improvement last season, returning to finals for the first time since 2019/20.

Their resurgence was led in part by the recruitment of a number of high-profile footballers and a handful of Indigenous ex-AFL players.

Marlion Pickett, a dual Richmond premiership hero, starred across 12 matches and was rewarded with the Bombers' best-and-fairest award.

Speaking during the season, Pickett told the ABC he relished the chance to play footy in the Top End.

"I like the heat and I like the country life, it's not as fast as the city life, and I'm enjoying it," he said.

"I think it's just the country you know — country boys, country life, and they (Tiwi Bombers players) just enjoy playing footy."

Another former AFL player, Matthew Parker, also donned the red and black last year.

The ex-St Kilda and Richmond utility made a big impression in his five appearances but was unable to play in the finals due to his commitments with WAFL club South Fremantle.

With Rioli's return, Lockyer's arrival, and the prospect of Finlayson joining the fold, the Bombers are quickly emerging as an NTFL premiership threat.