It’s the news Gold Coast SUNS members and fans were waiting to hear; Daniel Rioli is returning to full training.
The dashing SUNS recruit has been sidelined throughout pre-season with an MCL injury sustained in November, but the 27-year-old is confident he will be right to make his first SUNS appearance when the club hosts Sydney in a practice match on February 28.
“I feel like I could play (match simulation) on Thursday, but I’ll keep resting and will be ready to go for the Sydney game,” Rioli told SUNS Media.
“I feel I’m probably 90% and the last 10% is confidence-based. Once I get some contact in I’ll feel like I’m ready to go.”
It was a less than ideal start to Rioli’s SUNS career when some bad luck in a training session saw him sustain his first major pre-season injury of his career.
“I was pretty disappointed,” he said of the incident.
“It was my first or second training session with the boys and it was one of those things were it was all accidental and I got landed on and the weight collapsed on my knee.
“All I wanted to do was impress all the boys and my new teammates so for that to happen it was a bit unfortunate.
“But I guess silver lining is I’d rather that happen early on in pre-season than towards the end, and an MCL is way better than an ACL.”
Since sustaining the injury, Rioli has undergone surgery and begun gradually regaining strength in his knee.
It has involved extensive rehab in the gym, both strength-work and cardio including cycling and running.
Rioli said what irked him the most was not being able to prove himself to his new teammates.
“I couldn’t really showcase what I could bring to the team,” he explained.
“To have an injury that has affected my pre-season, I’ve never had that before.
“It’s frustrating but the boys know how I play and how I can get the team better by playing my way.
“I know what I can bring to the side so once I’m fully fit and firing I’ll be able to showcase that.”
Off the field, Rioli is loving his new life on the Gold Coast alongside his fiancé Paris.
“Once I finally moved here I was saying to Paris, why didn’t we move sooner?
“It’s such an amazing lifestyle and it’s right up my alley. There’s a lot of fishing and the weather is amazing.
“I’m enjoying the Gold Coast lifestyle and hopefully I can help bring some more success here.”
As he prepares for his first season with the SUNS, Rioli said he’s been impressed by the drive of the playing group to improve in 2025.
“I love the way they’ve brought a lot of energy and excitement,” he said.
“We’re not young but we’re in the middle bracket where we’re all on the verge of something special and I’m glad I’m going to be a part of that.
“From what I’ve seen on the training track, the hunger is there and I feel like we’re ready to take that next step and that’s to play on the last Saturday in September one day soon.”
