RETIRED Hawthorn superstar Cyril Rioli will be back in Melbourne on Wednesday to fulfill his Grand Final week engagements after briefly returning to Darwin.
There was confusion among event organisers when the 2015 Norm Smith medallist flew out of Victoria to attend to a personal matter.
But his manager Adam Ramanauskas told AFL.com.au that Rioli would complete his obligations this week.
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The first of those is 'Cyril Rioli's Farewell Testimonial Dinner' at North Geelong's Sphinx Hotel on Wednesday night, which will also feature his premiership teammates Luke Hodge and Shaun Burgoyne.
Testimonial dinner organiser Vincent Handley wrote on Facebook on Tuesday night that Rioli flying back to the Northern Territory came "as a big shock to us, as well as many others".
"His sudden and unexpected departure has left many event organisers scrambling."
Rioli will also be a star attraction for Fox Footy's Longest Kick on Saturday.
