DANIEL Rioli could not hide his excitement on the eve of playing just a second career game in front of his hometown fans in Darwin on Saturday night.

Just a week after passing his cousin Cyril as the Rioli with the most games at AFL level (190), Daniel will run out for Gold Coast against the Western Bulldogs at TIO Stadium.

The only other time he has played an AFL match at the ground he graced for St Mary's as a junior was in 2020 when Richmond won the 'Dreamtime' game there against Essendon.

Flanked by fellow Northern Territorians Ben Long, Joel Jeffrey and Malcolm Rosas jnr, Rioli said playing at home was something special.

"You get so caught up in the emotions and how exciting it is to play in front of your family and friends," he 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."

Following a light captain's run on Friday morning, Rioli was swarmed by locals wanting autographs and photos.

He was 15 to 20 minutes behind any of his teammates as kids chanted his name in unison.

"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."

Gold Coast enters the game with a 5-2 record, but has won its past six matches in the Top End, including a narrow victory over the Bulldogs in 2023.

Long has recovered from a hamstring strain that kept him out of Sunday night's loss to Brisbane, while Rosas jnr, Brayden Fiorini and Sam Clohesy have also been added to the 23.

"The weather is pretty similar to Gold Coast, nice and warm. I think we have a good advantage going into this game," Rioli said.

"Obviously, our record here is pretty good. The Doggies are a really good team and in good form now. Every game is tough."