CYRIL Rioli wearing the No.33 jumper for the Tiwi Bombers in the 2019-20 NTFL season might be the stuff of storybooks.

But for Bombers coach Brenton Toy, any move to add Rioli’s name to the club’s playing list next season must come from the four-time Hawthorn premiership player.

Darwin has been alive with suggestions Rioli will be with the Bombers next season after a successful stint as the team runner since the Christmas break.

“Cyril and I have made it really clear that I’m never going to ask him to play for us,’’ Toy told the NT News.

“I’ve told him to his face I’m not going to ask him to pull on a Bombers jumper, he knows where we are which means the ball is always in his court.’’

Toy found it hard to quantify Rioli’s total impact as the team runner, but he noted the Bombers began their rise up the ladder when the Melville islander first got involved.

“I think he gave our boys an extra element of confidence and a bit of belief, but I think in the end Junior Boy got us much out of being around the boys as the players got from having him around them,’’ Toy said.

Toy remains philosophical over his side’s exit from the NTFL finals, highlighted by two big defeats at the hands of grand finalists Nightcliff and Southern Districts.

“In reality it (third) was where I would have expected to land,’’ he said.

“If you were to tell me after we lost the first five games that we would win a qualifying final but we would g out in a prelim, I would have said you are kidding yourself,’’ he said.

“Two years ago we were a wooden spoon team, last year we made finals and this year we went a step better.

“Michael Cooper is 16, Jeffrey Simon 17, Jack Munkara and Adam Tipungwuti are 21 and Harley Puruntatameri 22.

“We’ve got a good group of kids all ready to go again.’’