Hawthorn coach Alastair Clarkson revealed he sent a cheeky text message to retired forward Cyril Rioli to see if he’d want to come out of retirement and play in the finals.
Rioli announced his retirement mid-season and has since returned to his family in Darwin.
“I did send him a text message a couple of weeks ago just to say, ‘listen mate, you can just pop out of retirement for a couple of weeks if you like’,” Clarkson told SEN’s Whateley.
“I got a smiley face response that suggests he’s enjoying his retirement up in Darwin.”
Hawthorn finished fourth on the ladder and will face Richmond in a Qualifying Final next Thursday night.
Listen to the full interview with Hawthorn coach Alastair Clarkson on Whateley below.