- Sep 4, 2014
- 3,000
- 4,065
- AFL Club
- Western Bulldogs
AFL.com.au Profile
It took Ed Richards a little while to understand the significance of his surname at Collingwood. And although he might not continue its famous history in the black and white, he does look set to add another chapter to its lineage at football's top level.
Richards, who shapes as an early pick at this year's NAB AFL Draft, is the grandson of former Pies great Ron Richards, who played 147 games for the Magpies between 1947-56. Ron's brother was Pies premiership skipper Lou Richards, who played 250 games for the club and is a Collingwood legend.
Ed was something of a bolter as the season wore on in 2017, staking his draft claim with some excellent performances for the Oakleigh Chargers in the TAC Cup having missed selection for Vic Metro due to a knee injury around the time the squad was picked.
There are few half-backs in this draft with the kind of weapons Richards has at his disposal – in his sharp left-foot kicking, smart game sense and turn of foot. The 18-year-old packages those traits to be an important player for his side as someone who sets his team up and gets things going.
He can be trusted by foot, he takes his risks with his kicking to get his team into dangerous areas, and he can get out of traffic with a clever sidestep or quick shimmy. He's tough and has no problems with floating back with the flight of the ball, and he has also at times drifted forward and into the midfield for shorter stints to highlight his versatility. Richards' combination of traits suits the modern game.
There isn't too much to worry about with Richards. Perhaps one knock would be that he hasn't been a big ball-winner at under-18 level – he averaged 15 disposals for the Chargers across the season – so won't come into the top level having had that type of experience. Having missed the championships he also didn't get the chance to play against the best prospects his age from around the country, so recruiters might not have that reference point they have for others.
Richards plays in a similar vein to Zac Williams from Greater Western Sydney in his attacking role across half-back, or even like Carlton's Sam Docherty with his run and good disposal.
The crafty and classy defender's finish to the season has seen him rocket into top-20 calculations. Richards is a player whose traits are in vogue.
Quietly determined and confident, Richards plays with a surety that sees him make an impact whenever he has the ball. Tough in the air, hard on the ground and competitive as anyone, Richards has an edge to his game.
http://www.afl.com.au/news/2017-11-08/tomorrows-heroes-rich-history-for-famous-name
AFL Draft Central Profile
DRAFT ANALYSIS "Elite running defender who is a classy ball user on his left foot"
OVERVIEW
The Richards name is famous within Collingwood, with Ed being a relative of the great Lou Richards – as the grandson of the great Ron Richards who played 143 games in the black and white. Richards has had a strong season, despite suffering a knee injury early in the season that saw him miss out on Vic Metro selection entirely – Richards dominated in the APS school boy competition for Carey Grammar. Richards stands out not only for his orange hair, but his speed and dash rebounding the ball out of defensive 50 make him a damaging player. At Carey’s big ground, Richards often took the kickouts – dashing through the opposition forwards before propelling it towards the wing with a precise left foot kick. The second half of the year saw him return to the Oakleigh Chargers, continuing his form and showing signs in the midfield where he was able to use his clean hands to effectiveness. In the APS v AGSV school boy rep game, Richards was the leading disposal winner on the ground with 33 disposals (76 per cent efficiency), six rebound 50s and five tackles.
STRENGTHS
Richards has a pinpoint left foot kick on the run and when he is stationary going short. His kicking efficiency of 75 per cent was the best out of any of the TAC Cup players invited to the National Combine. He was often given the responsibility of taking the kick outs at all levels, not looking fazed by any added pressure attached to such task.
Richards also possesses a very good leap, which means when he is defending in a one-on-one situation, he can leap high and spoil the ball or out mark some of his opponents. At the National Combine, Richards recorded a running vertical jump of 80cm – which was well above the average, indicating the spring in his step.
When he played through the midfield, Richards’ clearance work was impressive. While he recorded just 15 clearances for the season in 10 games for the Chargers, the number doesn’t accurately reflect the games where he played as an inside midfielder. In the Chargers late season clash with the Sandringham Dragons, Richards had more midfield time recording four clearances. At the moment he is a burst player in the midfield, suited to the outside role – but he has shown that a key trait of having quick and clean hands will allow him to possibly play as an inside midfielder in the future.
IMPROVEMENTS
If Richards is to translate into an inside midfielder at some point in the future, he may need to improve his contested ball winning. Richards averaged 36 per cent of his possessions in the TAC Cup in the contest, a figure that is below the 50:50 split of most contested ball winning midfielders. Again the figures are skewed due to him playing mainly as a rebounding defender, but it will be an area to improve at the next level if he progresses to a midfielder.
DRAFT PROJECTION: 10-30
SUMMARY
Richards is one of the few players who possess elite speed coming out of defensive 50 which will no doubt make him appealing to clubs inside the late first and early second round of 2017’s National AFL Draft. He has a deadly left foot kick which hits the target on more occasions than not. The rebounding defender has plenty of X-Factor and may be able to transition to a midfielder rather than as a half back flanker in the future.
https://www.afl*******************/player/ed-richards/
Inside Footy Profile
03-Jul-99 | 184.7cm | 78.1kg | Oakleigh Chargers
“Ed came into our program late – he was involved in his early years but he was a tiny fella. He was a success story of our year and a testament to his character and the time and effort he puts into his footy. He’s no-nonsense with the way he goes about it and has speed, competitiveness and is good overhead. He breaks lines and has flexibility in where he can play whether it’s back, mid or forward. He’s an exciting prospect with growth left in him.” – Oakleigh Chargers talent manager Craig Notman.
Simon Dalrymple's comments
Western Bulldogs Recruiting Manager Simon Dalrymple said Richard’s improvement in the second half of the season made him difficult to ignore.
“Ed provides great run off of half back and he’s and excellent user of the football,” he told westernbulldogs.com.au.
“He’s quick, he’s a competitor and the he’s developed extremely well in back half of the year.”
“We think with ample time in the system, he’s an exciting prospect.”
http://www.westernbulldogs.com.au/news/2017-11-24/pick-16-halfback-runner-richards-to-kennel
http://www.afl.com.au/video/2017-11-08/tomorrows-heroes-ed-richards
Stats
http://websites.sportstg.com/team_i...02970414&client=1-3020-111727-437836-25836207
Combine test results: 20m Sprint (secs) – 3.01 | Agility (secs) – 8.59 | Yo-Yo Test (level) – 20.6
It took Ed Richards a little while to understand the significance of his surname at Collingwood. And although he might not continue its famous history in the black and white, he does look set to add another chapter to its lineage at football's top level.
Richards, who shapes as an early pick at this year's NAB AFL Draft, is the grandson of former Pies great Ron Richards, who played 147 games for the Magpies between 1947-56. Ron's brother was Pies premiership skipper Lou Richards, who played 250 games for the club and is a Collingwood legend.
Ed was something of a bolter as the season wore on in 2017, staking his draft claim with some excellent performances for the Oakleigh Chargers in the TAC Cup having missed selection for Vic Metro due to a knee injury around the time the squad was picked.
There are few half-backs in this draft with the kind of weapons Richards has at his disposal – in his sharp left-foot kicking, smart game sense and turn of foot. The 18-year-old packages those traits to be an important player for his side as someone who sets his team up and gets things going.
He can be trusted by foot, he takes his risks with his kicking to get his team into dangerous areas, and he can get out of traffic with a clever sidestep or quick shimmy. He's tough and has no problems with floating back with the flight of the ball, and he has also at times drifted forward and into the midfield for shorter stints to highlight his versatility. Richards' combination of traits suits the modern game.
There isn't too much to worry about with Richards. Perhaps one knock would be that he hasn't been a big ball-winner at under-18 level – he averaged 15 disposals for the Chargers across the season – so won't come into the top level having had that type of experience. Having missed the championships he also didn't get the chance to play against the best prospects his age from around the country, so recruiters might not have that reference point they have for others.
Richards plays in a similar vein to Zac Williams from Greater Western Sydney in his attacking role across half-back, or even like Carlton's Sam Docherty with his run and good disposal.
The crafty and classy defender's finish to the season has seen him rocket into top-20 calculations. Richards is a player whose traits are in vogue.
Quietly determined and confident, Richards plays with a surety that sees him make an impact whenever he has the ball. Tough in the air, hard on the ground and competitive as anyone, Richards has an edge to his game.
http://www.afl.com.au/news/2017-11-08/tomorrows-heroes-rich-history-for-famous-name
AFL Draft Central Profile
DRAFT ANALYSIS "Elite running defender who is a classy ball user on his left foot"
OVERVIEW
The Richards name is famous within Collingwood, with Ed being a relative of the great Lou Richards – as the grandson of the great Ron Richards who played 143 games in the black and white. Richards has had a strong season, despite suffering a knee injury early in the season that saw him miss out on Vic Metro selection entirely – Richards dominated in the APS school boy competition for Carey Grammar. Richards stands out not only for his orange hair, but his speed and dash rebounding the ball out of defensive 50 make him a damaging player. At Carey’s big ground, Richards often took the kickouts – dashing through the opposition forwards before propelling it towards the wing with a precise left foot kick. The second half of the year saw him return to the Oakleigh Chargers, continuing his form and showing signs in the midfield where he was able to use his clean hands to effectiveness. In the APS v AGSV school boy rep game, Richards was the leading disposal winner on the ground with 33 disposals (76 per cent efficiency), six rebound 50s and five tackles.
STRENGTHS
- Speed
- Kicking
- Leap
- Clearance work
- Clean hands
Richards has a pinpoint left foot kick on the run and when he is stationary going short. His kicking efficiency of 75 per cent was the best out of any of the TAC Cup players invited to the National Combine. He was often given the responsibility of taking the kick outs at all levels, not looking fazed by any added pressure attached to such task.
Richards also possesses a very good leap, which means when he is defending in a one-on-one situation, he can leap high and spoil the ball or out mark some of his opponents. At the National Combine, Richards recorded a running vertical jump of 80cm – which was well above the average, indicating the spring in his step.
When he played through the midfield, Richards’ clearance work was impressive. While he recorded just 15 clearances for the season in 10 games for the Chargers, the number doesn’t accurately reflect the games where he played as an inside midfielder. In the Chargers late season clash with the Sandringham Dragons, Richards had more midfield time recording four clearances. At the moment he is a burst player in the midfield, suited to the outside role – but he has shown that a key trait of having quick and clean hands will allow him to possibly play as an inside midfielder in the future.
IMPROVEMENTS
- Endurance
- Contested ball winning
If Richards is to translate into an inside midfielder at some point in the future, he may need to improve his contested ball winning. Richards averaged 36 per cent of his possessions in the TAC Cup in the contest, a figure that is below the 50:50 split of most contested ball winning midfielders. Again the figures are skewed due to him playing mainly as a rebounding defender, but it will be an area to improve at the next level if he progresses to a midfielder.
DRAFT PROJECTION: 10-30
SUMMARY
Richards is one of the few players who possess elite speed coming out of defensive 50 which will no doubt make him appealing to clubs inside the late first and early second round of 2017’s National AFL Draft. He has a deadly left foot kick which hits the target on more occasions than not. The rebounding defender has plenty of X-Factor and may be able to transition to a midfielder rather than as a half back flanker in the future.
https://www.afl*******************/player/ed-richards/
Inside Footy Profile
03-Jul-99 | 184.7cm | 78.1kg | Oakleigh Chargers
“Ed came into our program late – he was involved in his early years but he was a tiny fella. He was a success story of our year and a testament to his character and the time and effort he puts into his footy. He’s no-nonsense with the way he goes about it and has speed, competitiveness and is good overhead. He breaks lines and has flexibility in where he can play whether it’s back, mid or forward. He’s an exciting prospect with growth left in him.” – Oakleigh Chargers talent manager Craig Notman.
Simon Dalrymple's comments
Western Bulldogs Recruiting Manager Simon Dalrymple said Richard’s improvement in the second half of the season made him difficult to ignore.
“Ed provides great run off of half back and he’s and excellent user of the football,” he told westernbulldogs.com.au.
“He’s quick, he’s a competitor and the he’s developed extremely well in back half of the year.”
“We think with ample time in the system, he’s an exciting prospect.”
http://www.westernbulldogs.com.au/news/2017-11-24/pick-16-halfback-runner-richards-to-kennel
http://www.afl.com.au/video/2017-11-08/tomorrows-heroes-ed-richards
Stats
http://websites.sportstg.com/team_i...02970414&client=1-3020-111727-437836-25836207
Combine test results: 20m Sprint (secs) – 3.01 | Agility (secs) – 8.59 | Yo-Yo Test (level) – 20.6
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