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
Height / weight 193 cm / 92 kg
Position(s) Defender
Playing career1
Years Club Games (Goals)
2001–2005
2006–2016
Total		 Essendon
Sydney		 033 (19)
228 (15)
261 (34)
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 2016.
Career highlights

Ted Richards (born 11 January 1983) is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played for the Essendon Football Club and Sydney Swans in the Australian Football League (AFL).

AFL career

Richards was recruited from Xavier College, with the 27th pick in the 2000 national draft. He made his senior debut in round 2, 2002 against Richmond and went on to play 33 games, before being traded to the Sydney Swans at the end of the 2005 season.

In round 6, 2005, he opposed Jonathan Brown, who was returning from a five-match suspension from the 2004 AFL Grand Final, Richards had eight goals kicked against him,[1] and was dropped for the following round. It was his limited opportunities at the club which ultimately led to him being traded.[2]

He was traded to Sydney Swans in exchange for pick 19 and 50 and made his debut for them in the first round of 2006, against his old club, Essendon. In the second quarter, coach Paul Roos assigned him onto Matthew Lloyd, who had already kicked six 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 current by 27 points, in what turned out to be their only win for the first 16 rounds of the season. He became a key contributor in the Swans' defense, occasionally moving forward if required.[3]

Richards played in the 2006 AFL Grand Final and put in a good effort, despite being 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 Brendan Fevola in the final 30 seconds of the loss against Carlton at Etihad Stadium. He missed the rest of the season as a result, while Sydney missed the finals for the first time in seven years. He also was forced to travel back to Sydney by road.[6]

The following year Richards initially looked like he would struggle to win a consistent spot in the senior team. However an injury to Craig Bolton provided a spot for him. His season was capped off with 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 the 2010 season, he continued to play consistent football throughout the following season. He became the clubs undisputed best defender and would take on the top forwards around the AFL every week, rarely being beaten.

Richards continued on his upward climb throughout the 2012 season; he was selected in the All-Australian team and was an integral part in Sydney winning the 2012 AFL Grand Final. He established himself as one of the best defenders in the competition and finished second in the Bob Skilton Medal.

He announced his retirement on 5 August 2016, and said he would finish at the end of the season.[7]

Statistics

[8]
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 22 0 2 141 136 277 86 39 0.0 0.1 6.4 6.2 12.6 3.9 1.8
2016 Sydney 25 8 2 2 46 32 78 31 5 0.3 0.3 5.8 4.0 9.8 3.9 0.6
Career 261 34 35 1804 1475 3279 1163 417 0.1 0.1 6.9 5.7 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. ↑ Curley, Adam (5 August 2016). "Ted's excellent adventure over at season's end". Australian Football League. Retrieved 5 August 2016.
  8. ↑ "Ted Richards". AFL Tables. Retrieved 28 August 2014.
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