Mabior Chol Biography

Mabior Chol explains that his decision to leave Gold Coast was not based on any bad blood between him and new Suns coach Damien Hardwick.

"I respect 'Dimma', he has been a great coach for a long time. I honestly don't know why people make up those stories that we don't get along. We actually do get along pretty well. It just came down to what's best for me long term. To hit the road and move was the best option for me. I'm pretty grateful that I'm here now at the Hawks and excited for the years to come," he said.

"Things didn't really work out at the Gold Coast the way I wanted them to as a club and player (in 2023). Me and my manager thought it was probably best to look somewhere else. I am super grateful I played for the Gold Coast and made a lot of good friends up there, but footy comes first. I'm really excited about the change."

Mabior Chol is traded to Hawthorn from Gold Coast, with the Hawks sending a future second-round pick, which was tied to their deal with Brisbane involving Jack Gunston, to the Suns to land the 200cm Chol. Hawthorn will receive pick 62 as part of the deal with the Suns as well.

"With more than 60 games under his belt, Mabior will help complement our young and developing list with his best footy definitely still ahead of him," Hawthorn list manager Mark McKenzie said.

"We can see Mabior making an immediate impact, obviously up forward, whilst also having great versatility to pinch-hit in the ruck."

Gold Coast coach Stuart Dew speaks of the "tough" decision to drop Mabior Chol, saying he still believes the tall forward is in the Suns' top 22 when playing his best.

Fresh off a breakout 44-goal campaign in 2022, Chol was given just the opening round against Sydney before being omitted for the following round where the Suns lost to Essendon.

"The message was about contributing, not just in a goal sense, but how can he bring others into the game," Dew said.

"It was a tough call. Mabior took it fantastic, he trained really well and played all right in the VFL. We think when he's at his absolute best he's in our best 22. We did feel like he did need a little reset."

Suns recruit Mabior Chol surges into the top-10 in the Coleman Medal race with a career-best five goals against West Coast.

"I've been seeking an opportunity for a very long time to show what I can do at the highest level. I knew coming up here I wasn't just going to walk straight in, I knew I was going to have to work hard and earn my position," Chol said.

"There's been a lot of hard work since the start of the pre-season and it's just been an exciting season."

Mabior Chol joins Gold Coast on a four-year as an unrestricted free agent with Richmond receiving an end-of-second round pick as compensation (currently No.38).

"Gold Coast was the club that I wanted to go to and to be able to go there now and be a Suns player is exciting," Chol said.

"I'm just really grateful that the club has shown a lot of interest in me and I'm the player for them, hopefully, I can pay them back for all the respect and trust they? ve shown me to go after me."

Mabior Chol will join the Suns on a four-year deal as a free agent in 2022. The 24-year-old had interest from other clubs, including Essendon, but ultimately decided to join the Suns.

"We're extremely excited that Mabior Chol will be going to the Gold Coast Suns for four years," Chol's manager Ralph Carr told Channel Seven.

"It was important for him to go home and get more opportunity to play senior football."

Controversy erupts over footage of Richmond players allegedly groping each other during the singing of their theme song following wins over the Bulldogs and Brisbane.

The vision being circulated on social media shows Jayden Short allegedly grab at Mabior Chol's genitals following the win over the Western Bulldogs, and Nick Vlastuin grab at Chol's backside after the win over the Lions.

Tigers coach Damien Hardwick abruptly cut short his press conference on Friday morning after veteran Network Ten reporter Hugh Riminton questioned the coach multiple times about the post-game incidents during the Tigers' theme song.

Richmond VFL coach Craig McRae elieves Mabior Chol is preforming better this season as he now works harder at training.

"Watching his growth from a skinny boy to what he is today, we're really proud of him and it's been quite a journey so far," McRae said.

"I think there's been some significant shifts in Mabior's game. Watching him and coding his games as his coach, I've seen his growth particularly around his consistency of effort.

"His contest stuff has always been strong, but the ability to do it for long periods has been a bit of a growth opportunity for him."

Richmond select Mabior Chol with pick No.45 in the 2018 Rookie Draft.

Mabior Chol is delisted by Richmond but the club will consider re-drafting him as a rookie.

Chol missed a large portion of his third season as a Tiger after breaking a bone in his foot at training in June.

"Mabior has shown promising signs over the past three seasons and the club will consider its options over the coming weeks," Tigers football manager Neil Balme said.

Richmond's key forward stocks have suffered a blow with exciting youngster Mabior Chol breaking his foot.

The 21-year-old is set for an extended stint on the sidelines after suffering the setback at training during the week.

Mabior Chol makes his AFL debut for Richmond at the SCG with 2 disposals (2 kicks), a mark and a tackle in a 113-point loss to Sydney.