Ted Richards

For other people named Ted Richards, see Ted Richards (disambiguation).
Ted Richards
Personal information
Full name Ted Richards
Date of birth (1983-01-11) 11 January 1983
Original team(s) Sandringham Dragons (TAC Cup)
Draft No. 27, 2000 National Draft, Essendon
Height/Weight 192 cm / 94 kg
Position(s) Defender
Club information
Current club Sydney
Number 25
Playing career1
Years Club Games (Goals)
2001–2005
2006–
Total		 Essendon
Sydney		 033 (19)
220 (13)
253 (32)
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 2015 season.
Career highlights

Ted Richards (born 11 January 1983) is a professional Australian rules footballer playing for the Sydney Swans in the Australian Football League (AFL).

Early life

He was recruited as the number 27 draft pick in the 2000 AFL Draft from Xavier College. He made his debut for Essendon in Round 2, 2002 against Richmond and played for Essendon until the end of the 2005 season.

Essendon

Early in the 2005 season he opposed Brisbane Lions forward Jonathan Brown, who was returning from a five-match suspension incurred in the 2004 AFL Grand Final, in Round 6. Richards had eight goals kicked against him,[1] and was dropped, not returning until Round 16. It was his limited opportunities at Essendon which ultimately led to him being traded to Sydney at the end of the season.[2]

Sydney Swans

At the end of the 2005 season he told Essendon that he wanted to be traded to continue his career at a new club. Therefore, he moved to the Sydney Swans in exchange for pick No. 19 and 50. He made his debut for the Sydney Swans in Round 1, 2006, coincidentally against his old club, Essendon. In the second quarter, coach Paul Roos assigned him onto Matthew Lloyd, who had already kicked six (of an eventual eight) first-quarter goals. The change paid dividends, as Richards kept his former leader goalless in the second quarter. Despite this, his old club embarrassed his new club by 27 points, in what turned out to be Essendon's only win for the first 16 rounds of the season. He has since become a regular member of the Swans' backline, but occasionally moves forward as required.[3]

On 30 September 2006, Richards played in the AFL Grand Final and put in a good effort for the Sydney Swans. In the game, he was knocked unconscious in the final five minutes[4] and is said to have lost memory of parts of the game.[5]

In 2009 he suffered a punctured lung and broken ribs when he collided with then-Carlton forward Brendan Fevola in the final 30 seconds of the Swans' loss against Carlton (its first since 2000, ending a 12-match dominance) at Etihad Stadium. Richards missed the rest of the season as a result, as the Swans missed the finals for the first time in seven years. He also was forced to travel back to Sydney by road.[6]

In 2010, Richards initially looked like he would struggle to win a consistent spot in the 22. However Craig Bolton's injury provided a spot for Richards in the Swans' defence. His season was capped off with him winning the Best Clubman Award. At the end of the year he completed a Bachelor of Commerce degree at the University of New South Wales, and combined with his football career at the Sydney Swans he now works part-time in the banking industry whilst studying for a Master of Finance degree.

After a particularly strong end to 2010, Richards continued to play consistent football throughout 2011. He became the Swans' undisputed best defender and would take on the top forwards around the AFL every week, rarely being beaten. His fine year was rewarded with a 5th-place finish in the Bob Skilton Medal.

2012 proved to be an even better year than the season before, as Richards finished 2nd in the 2012 Bob Skilton Medal and helped the Swans win their fifth AFL Premiership. These came shortly after he was given his first All-Australian jumper, being named at CHB. His remarkable improvement as a tall defender helped the Sydney defensive unit become the stingiest group in the AFL.

Statistics

Statistics are correct to the end of Round 3, 2015[7]
Legend
 G  Goals  B  Behinds  K  Kicks  H  Handballs  D  Disposals  M  Marks  T  Tackles
Season Team # Games G B K H D M T G B K H D M T
Totals Averages (per game)
2002 Essendon 20 2 0 1 4 6 10 3 2 0.0 0.5 2.0 3.0 5.0 1.5 1.0
2003 Essendon 20 10 9 5 43 17 60 16 9 0.9 0.5 4.3 1.7 6.0 1.6 0.9
2004 Essendon 20 11 7 2 32 44 76 25 9 0.6 0.2 2.9 4.0 6.9 2.3 0.8
2005 Essendon 20 10 3 2 42 51 93 33 10 0.3 0.2 4.2 5.1 9.3 3.3 1.0
2006 Sydney 25 23 4 5 131 101 232 86 29 0.2 0.2 5.7 4.4 10.1 3.7 1.3
2007 Sydney 25 23 2 4 175 98 273 111 42 0.1 0.2 7.6 4.3 11.9 4.8 1.8
2008 Sydney 25 24 4 2 185 174 359 154 32 0.2 0.1 7.7 7.3 15.0 6.4 1.3
2009 Sydney 25 16 1 4 129 135 264 94 36 0.1 0.3 8.1 8.4 16.5 5.9 2.3
2010 Sydney 25 14 1 3 94 104 198 77 26 0.1 0.2 6.7 7.4 14.1 5.5 1.9
2011 Sydney 25 23 0 1 202 110 312 107 47 0.0 0.0 8.8 4.8 13.6 4.7 2.0
2012 Sydney 25 25 0 0 198 160 358 125 51 0.0 0.0 7.9 6.4 14.3 5.0 2.0
2013 Sydney 25 25 1 0 190 156 346 98 40 0.0 0.0 7.6 6.2 13.8 3.9 1.6
2014 Sydney 25 25 0 2 192 151 343 117 40 0.0 0.1 7.7 6.0 13.7 4.7 1.6
2015 Sydney 25 3 0 0 21 10 31 11 4 0.0 0.0 7.0 3.3 10.3 3.7 1.3
Career 234 32 31 1638 1317 2955 1057 377 0.1 0.1 7.0 5.6 12.6 4.5 1.6

References

  1. ↑ Sydney veteran Ted Richards will not underestimate Brisbane Lions champion forward Jonathon Brown at the Gabba, The Daily Telegraph, 1 May 2014
  2. ↑ Swans think big as Roos moves on Bomber Ted, Sydney Morning Herald, 7 October 2005
  3. ↑ Sydney Swan Ted Richards loving life in non-footy town
  4. ↑ Blake, Martin (26 September 2012). "No place to run, or hide".
  5. ↑ "Concussed Richards' final haze". 1 October 2006.
  6. ↑ Richards has broken ribs, punctured lung
  7. ↑ Ted Richards' player profile at AFL Tables

External links

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