Mark Riley (Australian rules coach)
Encyclopedia
Mark Riley is an Australian rules football
coach, who acted briefly as the caretaker coach of the Melbourne Football Club
in 2007. He is currently an assistant coach with the Carlton Football Club
.
As a player Riley played for Claremont
in the WAFL
, at junior levels, but never played league football after badly injuring his knee. He then played Sunday league football as well as cricket
, including being selected for a state squad. As a teacher, he then moved to small rural towns including Hyden
, Narrogin
and Kellerberrin
. At Kellerberrin he coached Gerard Neesham
and built up a friendship that would later see Riley take over from Neesham as coach of Claremont when Neesham was appointed coach of the newly formed Fremantle Football Club
in mid 1994. Riley would lead Claremont to the 1994 WAFL Grand Final, but they lost to East Fremantle.
He then joined Fremantle on its entry into the AFL
in 1995 and was the club's development coach from 1995–97 and assistant coach from 1998-2000. 2001 and 2002 saw him return to Claremont as senior coach where he was awarded the JJ Leonard Western Australian Football Coach of the Year award in 2002 before he joined Neale Daniher
, who was also an assistant coach at Fremantle under Neesham, at Melbourne in 2003 as an assistant coach. When Daniher resigned in the middle of the 2007 season, Riley was appointed the caretaker coach of Melbourne for the remainder of the 2007 season from Round 14 onwards. Melbourne won three of the nine games he coached to finish 14th, but Riley was not retained for the 2008 season, being replaced by Dean Bailey
. He joined the Carlton Football Club
in 2008 as an assistant coach, mainly focusing on the Blues' midfield. At the end of 2009, RIley was presented with the AFL Coaches Association Assistant Coach of the Year after doing a fine job with the Carlton midfielders.
Australian rules football
Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...
coach, who acted briefly as the caretaker coach of the Melbourne Football Club
Melbourne Football Club
The Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed The Demons, is an Australian rules football club playing in the Australian Football League , based in Melbourne, Victoria....
in 2007. He is currently an assistant coach with the Carlton Football Club
Carlton Football Club
The Carlton Football Club is a professional Australian rules football club based in Melbourne, Victoria. The club competes in the Australian Football League, and was one of the eight founding members of that competition in 1897...
.
As a player Riley played for Claremont
Claremont Football Club
The Claremont Football Club, nicknamed the Tigers, is an Australian rules football club in the West Australian Football League . Its official colours are navy blue and gold....
in the WAFL
West Australian Football League
The West Australian Football League is an Australian rules football league based in Perth, Western Australia. The WAFL is the second-most popular in the state, behind the nation-wide Australian Football League...
, at junior levels, but never played league football after badly injuring his knee. He then played Sunday league football as well as cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
, including being selected for a state squad. As a teacher, he then moved to small rural towns including Hyden
Hyden, Western Australia
The town of Hyden is located 339 km east of Perth, Western Australia in the Shire of Kondinin. Hyden is home to Wave Rock and Mulka's Cave, both popular local tourist attractions....
, Narrogin
Narrogin, Western Australia
Narrogin is a large town in the Wheatbelt region of Western Australia, southeast of Perth on the Great Southern Highway between Pingelly and Wagin...
and Kellerberrin
Kellerberrin, Western Australia
Kellerberrin is a town in the Wheatbelt region of Western Australia, east of Perth on the Great Eastern Highway.The railway line from Northam to Southern Cross was constructed through here in 1893-94, and this section opened for traffic in 1895. Kellerberrin was one of the original stations when...
. At Kellerberrin he coached Gerard Neesham
Gerard Neesham
Gerard Neesham is a former Australian rules footballer in the WAFL and VFL as well as coach in the WAFL and AFL. Today he is chief executive of the Clontarf Foundation.-Playing career:...
and built up a friendship that would later see Riley take over from Neesham as coach of Claremont when Neesham was appointed coach of the newly formed Fremantle Football Club
Fremantle Football Club
The Fremantle Football Club, nicknamed The Dockers, is an Australian rules football team which plays in the Australian Football League . The club is based in the port city of Fremantle at the mouth of the Swan River in Western Australia...
in mid 1994. Riley would lead Claremont to the 1994 WAFL Grand Final, but they lost to East Fremantle.
He then joined Fremantle on its entry into the AFL
Australian Football League
The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...
in 1995 and was the club's development coach from 1995–97 and assistant coach from 1998-2000. 2001 and 2002 saw him return to Claremont as senior coach where he was awarded the JJ Leonard Western Australian Football Coach of the Year award in 2002 before he joined Neale Daniher
Neale Daniher
Neale Francis Daniher is a former Australian rules footballer who played with the Essendon Football Club in the Australian Football League . Neale was also an Assistant Coach to the Essendon and Fremantle Football Clubs and the Coach of the Victorian State Team and the Melbourne Football Club...
, who was also an assistant coach at Fremantle under Neesham, at Melbourne in 2003 as an assistant coach. When Daniher resigned in the middle of the 2007 season, Riley was appointed the caretaker coach of Melbourne for the remainder of the 2007 season from Round 14 onwards. Melbourne won three of the nine games he coached to finish 14th, but Riley was not retained for the 2008 season, being replaced by Dean Bailey
Dean Bailey
Dean Bailey is a former Australian rules footballer who played with Essendon, a former coach of the Melbourne Football Club, as well as a former assistant coach at Port Adelaide.-Coaching career:...
. He joined the Carlton Football Club
Carlton Football Club
The Carlton Football Club is a professional Australian rules football club based in Melbourne, Victoria. The club competes in the Australian Football League, and was one of the eight founding members of that competition in 1897...
in 2008 as an assistant coach, mainly focusing on the Blues' midfield. At the end of 2009, RIley was presented with the AFL Coaches Association Assistant Coach of the Year after doing a fine job with the Carlton midfielders.