Ted Richards

[Markus26]

When I told my daughter that her favourite player Teddy was retiring she was a bit sad. Then she said, "Oh well, I'll have to choose a new fav ... it will be the Red Rooster!" Love how quickly thirteen year olds move on.

[Sandridge]

(*Insert forward's name)... have you met Ted?

I'm so going to miss saying that.

What a fabulous, all-round nice guy our Teddy is. I bet Essenscum are still kicking themselves for letting him go.
One of the funniest guys on the team. Always happy to receive a hug and have a chat.
Hope to see him still hanging around next year.
Stockbroker. Indeed. Defensive coach would have been a better career choice (but probably not as much moolah).

Love the "How I Met Your Mother" reference, Annie!

Sad to see Teddy go - he's been fantastic and thoroughly deserves to be in the very elite club of Swans Premiership players.

[liz]

Unlike others I'll most remember him for his 2006 Grand Final performance. At the time he was just a newbie and I remember being very impressed with his efforts and thought he was pure guts. I recall him running down two eagles players with holding the ball and getting concussed and continuing to play despite this. He was always a favourite of mine after that, despite my dear old swans supporting dad giving him the nickname 's#it Ted' in that 2007-2010 period.

Very sad to hear the news and I'll miss his humour in the media dearly. The way he takes stabs at his teammates is priceless.

I think many will be with you in holding that as one of our fondest memories of Ted. For me, that was the game he realised what he was capable of, and truly became a Blood.

[bloodsbigot]

Unlike others I'll most remember him for his 2006 Grand Final performance. At the time he was just a newbie and I remember being very impressed with his efforts and thought he was pure guts. I recall him running down two eagles players with holding the ball and getting concussed and continuing to play despite this. He was always a favourite of mine after that, despite my dear old swans supporting dad giving him the nickname 's#it Ted' in that 2007-2010 period.

Very sad to hear the news and I'll miss his humour in the media dearly. The way he takes stabs at his teammates is priceless.

[mcs]

It will be sad to have the Swans running around with Teddy - he has been such a wonderful player for us over an extended period, and a true gentleman off the field as well - I've had the pleasure to talk to him on a few occasions, and he is a fantastic guy, and a true champion.

I hope he can fight his way back into the team for one last hurrah before the end of 2016 - it would be wonderful for him to go out with a fairytale premiership, but even if he doesn't, we have been privileged to see a wonderful career unfold at our club for Teddy. Bravo

[AnnieH]

(*Insert forward's name)... have you met Ted?

I'm so going to miss saying that.

What a fabulous, all-round nice guy our Teddy is. I bet Essenscum are still kicking themselves for letting him go.
One of the funniest guys on the team. Always happy to receive a hug and have a chat.
Hope to see him still hanging around next year.
Stockbroker. Indeed. Defensive coach would have been a better career choice (but probably not as much moolah).

[KTigers]

Ted is a very modest and selfless fellow, and he has always downplayed being the 2012 Golden Fist winner. He knows that a premiership medal means a lot to the other Swans, but doesn't want to bring them down by mentioning that the AFL hands out almost two dozen of them every year, so they don't have anywhere near the rarity value of the Golden Fist trophy. Memories of receiving the award from such a spiritual guy like Danny Frawley live on an esteemed show like Bounce regularly brings a tear to Ted's eye.

People forget that he won the Golden First Award. The most prestigious award in modern football history. Bound to get a mention on Bounce on Sunday night. Can't believe it wasn't mentioned in his presser.

[dejavoodoo44]

Great bloke, who has made his contribution to the club not only on the field but in what it is. I'm sorry to see him go, although I think it's the right decision, and hope he can make a further contribution on the field before he heads off into the sunset.

Yes, I definitely think it's the right decision, due to the multiple concussions; since they are additive and the axonal damage does not heal. Which of course, makes it more likely, that any subsequent brain trauma will cause serious consequences.

[dejavoodoo44]

Agree, and although I've never watched a replay of it, from memory he damn near won us the 06 GF he was superb in that game, and had he not been knocked out he may well have won it for us.

Great career and is well and truly entitled to strut around the place wearing the name Super Ted.

Yes, that was the performance that sold me on Teddy. Before that, I had the attitude of, "Why did we use a high draft pick on an Essendon reject?" And it's not easy to imagine a situation where, we would've overcome the one point deficit, if Teddy hadn't been knocked out by one of West Coast's less than model citizens, Daniel Chick. It's also easy to imagine how Teddy could have been the Swans first Norm Smith medallist, as he was probably best on ground in the second half of that GF.

[dejavoodoo44]

Season 2016 to be Ted?s last
Sad but he has nothing left to prove.
A true champion of the game.
And from the few times I have met Ted, he has been a really cool guy, happy to chat, smile and laugh with fans.

Yes, he does seem to be a genuinely engaged and engaging person. Here's hoping that he resurrects, The Richards Report, for one or two more outings before the season's end.

[Plugger46]

From the press conference: "Without embarrassing him, I did keep Bud goalless once in 2012." I assume he means the round 5 win? I guess some journo wrote up their story on the run without reviewing the games...

EDIT: note that The Age article now updated and has removed the incorrect information.

Ahh righto. Gee that's lazy. I shouldn't be surprised.

[Nico]

People forget that he won the Golden First Award. The most prestigious award in modern football history. Bound to get a mention on Bounce on Sunday night. Can't believe it wasn't mentioned in his presser.

[dimelb]

Great bloke, who has made his contribution to the club not only on the field but in what it is. I'm sorry to see him go, although I think it's the right decision, and hope he can make a further contribution on the field before he heads off into the sunset.

[Go Swannies]

Ted went into the 2012 GF with a bung foot (or was it ankle?). I'd asked him about it in the lead-up week and he said "no it's fine" but at the celebration GF dinner he was hobbling badly and I accused him "you lied to me" and he replied "I lied to everyone. We couldn't let the info get out. But it worked out okay on the day." And he has the Premiership medal to prove he was right.

The nicest, most honest, funniest of all Swans players. I also recall him sitting at our Trivia table when he'd been dropped to reserves. I asked him how it felt and he replied "They try to do it nicely. And they say that it's just to regain form. But it still rips your heart out."

[KTigers]

Buddy actually kicked 3.4 and had 24 disposals in the 2012 GF, but we shouldn't hold that against Ted, as Buddy is quite good at football.

The Age reporting that he kept Buddy goalless in the 2012 GF. Watched a different game to the one I was at.