One of Gold Coast's recruit Daniel Rioli's reasons for departing Richmond was the fact of being closer to family, and the option of playing in front of loved ones at TIO Stadium in Darwin.
Rioli was drafted by the Tigers with Pick 15 in 2015, and after 183 games and three premierships, made the move north, reuniting with former coach Damien Hardwick at the Suns.
Gold Coast will travel to the Top End for the next fortnight, hosting the Western Bulldogs and Hawthorn in consecutive weeks, which in the past three years, has been a successful home away from home.
Rioli - who is familiar with TIO Stadium during his St Mary's junior days - has only played one AFL match at the venue, when the Dreamtime clash against Essendon was moved there in 2020 due to COVID-19.
Rioli will join fellow Northern Territorians Ben Long, Joel Jeffrey and Malcolm Rosas Jr when they take on the Bulldogs.
"You get so caught up in the emotions and how exciting it is to play in front of your family and friends," Rioli said.
"I'm not going to lie, we look forward to the occasion, and when you're playing at home, it's pretty special.
"We'll showcase it on the ground tomorrow night. It'll be exciting to watch."
In Friday's captain's run, Rioli was swarmed by adoring Gold Coast fans, who rarely get a glimpse of AFL stars.
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"It makes me pretty proud," he said.
"I have so many family members, friends, locals supporting me.
"Obviously, the kids now, they mean a lot, I want to be a role model for them and take the right path for what they want to achieve in the future."
In a touching moment for the Rioli family, the Suns defender will overtake Hawthorn champion Cyril Rioli as the games record holder amongst the six who have featured at the top level.
The Hawks small forward notched up 189 games before retiring. Maurice Rioli Sr (118) and Dean Rioli (100) both hit the triple digits, while Port Adelaide's Willie Rioli (98) isn't far away.
Richmond's Maurice Rioli Jr (40) continues to forge his path at Punt Road.
The Suns enter Saturday's mouth-watering clash against the Bulldogs with a 5-2 record, but remain undefeated in Darwin in the past six encounters.
