Cyril Rioli confronted his former Hawthorn bosses Alastair Clarkson and Chris Fagan on Tuesday for the first time in more than five years at the Australian Human Rights Commission that continued mediation into Wednesday over systemic racism claims from its once Indigenous players.

Conciliation looks set to continue between the warring parties of former premiership coach Clarkson, general manager of football Fagan, and ex-Hawks staffer Jason Burt against ex-teammates and their partners, Rioli, wife Shannyn Ah-Sam-Rioli, Jermaine Miller-Lewis, wife Montanah Miller-Lewis, Carl Peterson as well as ex-Aboriginal liaison officer Leon Egan.

The players entered conciliation wanting apologies 18 months since the allegation were first made from the men and admissions that racist treatment of three players, their partners and an official on behalf of the players happened, which Clarkson, Fagan and Burt adamantly deny it previously took place.

Should mediation break down in Melbourne, both parties will be forced to head to the Federal court, while under oath, for a judge to listen to each of the specific allegations one by one to find a verdict and handle down any damages.

It would favour the Indigenous accusers should the case go to a trial in the Federal court.

The conciliation came about after the accusing players were unhappy with an internal AFL racism investigation failing to properly hear to their grievances, and decided to take their claims into the human rights commission arena.

"(The AFL, Hawthorn and Clarkson, Fagan and Burt) have made their choice, and we will bring them to the (Australian) Human Rights Commission conciliation to listen to the truths that they don't want to hear," Rioli, Peterson and Miller-Lewis said in a joint statement before the proceedings.

"And if they still won't listen and learn, then it will end up in the Federal court where we will tell our truths in the witness box. But they will hear us one way or another.

"We also believe that with the passing of time that the Hawthorn Football Club will acknowledge that our suffering and pain was real."

The face-to-face conciliation from the mediation concluded on Wednesday and it will now be handed over to the lawyers of the parties to find common ground over the coming weeks.

But what was said inside the Australian Human Rights Commission over the past two days and what the final outcome will be may not become public anytime soon, according to a tightlipped Fagan.

Fagan returned to Brisbane on Tuesday night to run training the next day ahead of Thursday night's blockbuster between Brisbane and Collingwood at the Gabba.

He was set to only appear on Tuesday while Clarkson was required to also spend the Wednesday with mediators at the Human Rights Commission.

"Conciliation continues (through lawyers)," Brisbane coach Chris Fagan told reporters on Wednesday.

"All of us that participated have agreed to keep everything pretty much in house.

"If there is a point in time where I can talk about it, I will.

"But for now, I've just got to let it be and let the process work.

"I've been doing that for a long time – it's been about 18 months, so I'm well practised.

"I just focus on what needs to be focused on at any given time.

"It hasn't been easy at times, but that's the way I've done it.

"I have had great support from the club, great support from my family, my wife has been brilliant … you need all that because there has been times when it's been pretty tough. I'm only human."

It is understood that after two days of mediation that the parties are "tracking in the right direction" and a resolution could be found within the next month.

Mediators have asked the parties to find a common ground where Clarkson, Fagan and Burt may well now say through cultural misunderstandings they didn't knowingly indulge in racism behaviour, but they apologise for their actions.

Going into the conciliation, Clarkson was not willing to make any form of concessions against the allegations levelled at him while in charge of the Hawks.

But North Melbourne president Dr Sonja Hood said the incumbent Kangaroos coach always wanted to confront his former players regardless of his stance of what happened.

"I'm just delighted that after 500 days or whatever it's been, Alastair (Clarkson) finally gets to hear directly from the people who have been hurt in this process," Hood told Melbourne ABC radio on Monday ahead of the conciliation.

"They need to have their say and I'm really pleased that he finally gets to have his."

Burt last year admitted the coaching staff, including himself, engaged in behaviour that had "overstepped the mark" and made him feel "uncomfortable" over attempts to split up a player and his partner's relationship.

The club's former welfare manager told Nine media he regretted an incident where he accompanied Clarkson and Fagan to one of the player's homes, but would not apologise as Burt did not attend a separate meeting that is alleged to have advised the wife of a different Indigenous player to terminate her pregnancy.

What is understood that despite Fagan nowadays coaches the Lions since the multiple alleged incidents occurred from 2008 until 2016, and Clarkson, into his second season taking on North Melbourne that Hawthorn chief executive Ashley Klein and club president Andy Gowers were present during proceedings.

Aside from the key apology from Clarkson, Fagan and Burt, the club is preparing to provide financial compensation that Hawthorn has set aside about $1.5 million in this year's budget for not only the Indigenous players, but even for the three defendants over damages to their own reputations in the football industry.