'You can't beat the genes': St Mary's catchcry
- Category: AFL News
Hawthorn star Cyril Rioli is one of St Mary's most famous alumni
"YOU CAN'T beat the genes."
Those five words are the catchcry of the bloodlines-rich St Mary's Football Club, home to the legendary Rioli and Long clans, in the Northern Territory.
A club formed in 1952 as somewhere for Darwin-based Tiwi Islanders to play – and initially rejected for having a team of mostly "full-blood" Aboriginals – has blossomed into one of Australia's most successful.
The Saints, also known as the Green Machine, won their fourth senior men's premiership in five seasons and 32nd overall in March this year.
In that Grand Final side were Ben and Shannon Rioli and Jack Long, as well as ex-St Kilda utility Raphael Clarke, the younger brother of Xavier, who were both top-10 AFL draft picks.
"It takes a touch of courage to coach this club," senior coach Ricky Nolan, son of the late North Melbourne...
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