Mark Riley – SUNS TV Feature
Unable to carve out a career as an athlete despite his multitude of sporting talents as a junior, GC SUNS assistant coach Mark “Bomber” Riley was determined not to make the same mistake when his second chance came knocking on the door.
“I was quite talented sportsperson as a youth but I didn’t challenge myself anywhere near as hard as I should have,” Riley said.
“That sought of drove me when I was given a second opportunity to be involved in elite sports and I wasn’t going to let it slip.”
From teaching at Harrison Primary School to coaching at the oldest football club in the AFL, Riley made the unlikely transition possible after a two-year coaching stint with the Claremont Football Club in the WAFL competition.
“It all started by accident after I was posted to a country town teaching and one of the local footy clubs basically couldn’t find anyone,” he said.
“I was playing down there and then took over the coaches role and eventually coached at Claremont before being lucky enough to be involved in the AFL.”
Riley received news of his big break after accepting a phone call from then-head coach Neale Daniher from the Melbourne Demons.
“I got an opportunity to coach at Melbourne, Neale was the coach at the time and originally we thought we’d go to Melbourne for a couple of years… but that then panned out to be ten,” said Riley.
After an additional five years at Carlton, Riley made the decision to relocate his family up north and accept a vacant coaching position at the Gold Coast to work alongside the club’s talented forwards in Charlie Dixon and Tom Lynch.
While the Western Australia has always considered himself as a career coach, the change of scenery was not a decision he made lightly.
“Once I was married and had a family it became more than accidental because it’s a very volatile industry,” said Riley.
And after building 19 years of coaching experience across the AFL landscape, not once does the former primary school teacher ponder that he doesn’t have the skills to connect with players despite having never laced up the boots on the national platform.
“It is unusual that without having had that pedigree of playing AFL that I’ve been able to remain in this system for so long,” he said.
But a good friend of mine once said – “Bart Cummings, one of Australia’s greatest ever horse trainer, didn’t ride too many.”
“I think I build good relationships with people, and I’ve never put myself ahead of the team and I think that is what I’ve continually be able to bring to any organisation.”
And while he might be edging closer towards reaching two decades in his search for an AFL premiership, Riley says his hunger to taste premiership glory is still burning as strong as it was when he first joined the national competition.
“Whether you’re a front runner, involved in franchises or involved at the oldest football club in the AFL I’m only assuming that if you’re involved in a premiership it will be pretty sweet.”
“I’m going to take it anywhere I can.”
SUNS TV airs on 7 Mate from 6:00pm this Saturday night prior to the Gold Coast SUNS match against Essendon.