Mabior Chol

Chol was born in present-day South Sudan,[2] before his family fled to Egypt to avoid the ongoing civil war when he was two years old.

[9] Prior to the draft he was also lauded by Queensland academy coach Adrian Fletcher for his positional versatility and his marking prowess.

[12] He failed to gain selection at senior level as a result though, instead playing a majority of his season with the club's reserves side in the VFL.

[16] In late July Chol was involved in a training mishap, accidentally poking forward Jack Riewoldt in the eye and causing him to miss two matches as a result.

[21] His performance earned the praise of Seven Network commentator Tim Watson, who predicted he would be playing AFL level football for Richmond by season's end.

[25] By early-July he had resumed walking free of the boot and by late-August he was approaching the final stages of aerobic conditioning prior to a footballing return.

[27][28] Chol eventually made his return to VFL football in Richmond's semi-final loss to Essendon, which brought to an end his and the club's reserves season after playing eight matches and kicking 11 goals.

[44][45][46] He kicked his first AFL goal in that match while also recording 13 hitouts and eight disposals in a ruck role shared with young teammate Noah Balta.

[47][48][49] Chol remained in the senior side following the mid-season bye and the return of Soldo in round 16, performing exceptionally in a forward role in which he kicked three goals and recorded 16 disposals and nine marks.

[52][53][18] Chol kicked a goal in each his next five matches at AFL level, continuing to impact as a forward and relief ruck despite averaging a modest eight disposals per game.

[63][64] [65] Chol finished 2019 having played a career-best nine matches at AFL level and was Richmond's equal-leading goalkicker in the reserves, with 21 goals across 12 games including that year's VFL premiership.

[80][81][82][83] He continued to earn AFL selection over coming weeks, including after the club was relocated to the Gold Coast in response to a virus outbreak in Melbourne.

[89] Chol spent three rounds out of the side before earning an AFL recall following a five goal showing in a mid-September practice match against the Geelong reserves.

[102][103][104] At the conclusion of the 2021 AFL season, Chol exercised his rights as a free agent and moved to the Gold Coast Suns.

Evermore, Chol kept his spot in the senior team for their Anzac Round game against North Melbourne at Heritage Bank Stadium.

For the rest of the season Chol was in out of the senior team facing competition with fellow talls, Ben King, Levi Casboult, and Jack Lukosius.

However, once he moved over to the Gold Coast Suns, he shaved his head bald to resemble his idol Gary Ablett junior.

[112][113] Chol is an ambassador for The Growth Project, an organisation dedicated to fostering community engagement for young Melburnians of Sudanese heritage.

Chol kicks during play in a VFL match in August 2017