ESSENDON'S inaugural First Nations board member Dean Rioli wants the Bombers to be able to "attract and retain the best Indigenous talent" in the AFL as the club follows through on key recommendations from its external review.

As reported by AFL.com.au earlier this month, the Bombers had sounded out former player Rioli to be the club's inaugural First Nations director, with the appointment confirmed on Friday.

The 100-game Bomber, who retired in 2006, will formally take on the position at next month's annual general meeting, with part of his role to also chair Essendon's national Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander advisory council with representatives from all states and territories with a connection to the Bombers.

Rioli spoke with president Dave Barham and newly appointed director and former teammate Andrew Welsh several weeks ago as they registered their interest in him for the board position, before he met with each board member individually. He said engaging with Indigenous communities and the broader Essendon fan base was a priority.

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"'Sheeds' (former coach Kevin Sheedy) was huge on being proud of drafting players from all parts of Australia. You sit down with him and he got the napkin out and was very passionate that he had a bloke from North Queensland in Courtenay Dempsey, and the Tiwi Islands and then Broome and then down to South Australia. He was very passionate about drafting people from all over Australia and that's what we need to get back to," Rioli told AFL.com.au.

"I remember growing up as a kid and we had James Hird, Gary O'Donnell and Paul Salmon come over to the Tiwi Islands and James was only just starting, I think it was his first year at the club. The club was committed and went up to Darwin and played a number of games against the Northern Territory side and then went out to the remote communities and gave back and Sheeds was huge on that.

"[There's been] challenges with COVID and restrictions, but I think it's time to get back to community. It's not just the Indigenous community at home, it feels like members and supporters can actually feel inclusive of the club they barrack for. That's going to be the challenge now in how do we reconnect with the community as a whole."

Rioli's appointment continues a run of changes at the Bombers in recent months after their horror 2022 season, with Brad Scott taking on the senior coaching role, Barham becoming president, the club looking to fill its vacant chief executive position for a second time, and a host of newly created roles in the football department. 

Rioli said it had been a challenging time for the club and was keen to play his part in helping it re-establish itself in the competition, having watched his family members enjoy success at rival clubs. 

"I'm a supporter and like most it has been very frustrating times. It's a weird one because as much as I still have had Essendon at heart and always will, I've sort of drifted away from the club for various reasons with Cyril (Rioli) at Hawthorn and Daniel and Maurice (Rioli) at Richmond and Junior (Rioli) at West Coast, I spent a lot of time more interested in those clubs. It felt I was drifting away. I always kept an eye on Essendon results but I felt almost disconnected from the football club which, as a past player and a passionate Essendon supporter, it just didn't feel right," he said.

Rioli will now be heavily involved, particularly in building out the club's stated ambition to restore its leadership position in the Indigenous community and to nurture Indigenous players and staff members. 

The return of Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti to the club, made official this week, was a fillip, with Rioli saying he hoped the fan favourite had several more years of football left in his career after his retirement earlier this season.

"Essendon people love 'Walla' and it's great, because he was going through some challenges in his own life 12 months ago. He's got away, he's travelled and got a car and a caravan and travelled up to Darwin and Broome and did a trip around and had a lot of time to clear his head and think about what's next," he said.

"For him to make that call obviously Walla is in a good headspace and hungry again, he's hopefully got a few more years of exciting footy left in him."

The Bombers currently have two Indigenous players on their list – McDonald-Tipungwuti and Tex Wanganeen – and they could re-draft Josh Eyre as a rookie after delisting him on Friday, while they have first call over father-son pair Alwyn and Jayden Davey, as well as Next Generation Academy prospect Anthony Munkara, at this month's NAB AFL Draft. Rioli said there wasn't a target for how many Indigenous players the Bombers should have on their list but a need to build the right environment.

"I know in the past there might be recruiters who say 'he's probably the best pick for now but if we draft him is it going to be a risk or are they going to stay or go home?' I think [it's about] creating an environment where we can be confident we can retain our players," he said.

"There's a football department and we want them to feel they're developing and playing the best footy they can but as a club as a whole we need to make sure we have some steps in place where we can attract and retain the best Indigenous talent."

Rioli's position as chair of the advisory group will also see him work with former Bombers around the country for a national reach, with him flagging ex-players Gavin Wanganeen, Michael Long and Che Cockatoo-Collins as potential candidates to be involved, while also wanting to assess the community programs of NRL club South Sydney Rabbitohs and the Illawarra Hawks in the NBL.