Ed Richards has been shifted to inside midfield over the past fortnight, from his usual half back stopper role. As a defender his stat line was dominated by marks and kicks; as a mid it's more about handballs and tackles. The mix may have shifted, but on small sample size it appears his volume hasn't changed, as it has tended to add up to the same sort of middling fantasy score. More concerning is that his nominal opponent in midfield last week, Caleb Serong, piled on 17 clearances in a BOG performance. How long will Luke Beveridge persist with this square peg in a round hole?
Ed Richards has been shifted to inside midfield over the past fortnight, from his usual half back stopper role. As a defender his stat line was dominated by marks and kicks; as a mid it's more about handballs and tackles. The mix may have shifted, but on small sample size it appears his volume hasn't changed, as it has tended to add up to the same sort of middling fantasy score. More concerning is that his nominal opponent in midfield last week, Caleb Serong, piled on 17 clearances in a BOG performance. How long will Luke Beveridge persist with this square peg in a round hole?
Ed Richards is hanging around in a lot of fantasy teams at the moment, as a stepping stone whom fantasy coaches haven't had the time to step off yet. This tends to happen to teams who get smashed by injuries, and a lot of coaches are whacking moles in their rucks at the moment with practically every ruck going down at one time or another, carnage that peaked over the bye periods. If he's still in your side it's not a disaster, and it's tempting to try to hang onto the trades to upgrade him, but he really isn't a premium so you'll have to plan to offload him soon.
Ed Richards has been on the fringes at the Western Bulldogs for the last year or two, coming into the club with high praise from recruiters but struggling to define his role in the team. He is capable of playing in all parts of the ground without starring in any one of them, at least at this stage of his development, which has meant that his job security has been rather low. Now is about the time that the coaches should have done their work in the magoos to mould him into the player they want him to be. What will that be? This year's preseason gives him one chance to impress.
Ginger adds spice
The hard-running Ed Richards commenced his transition from half-back flanker to outside midfielder, spending much of his second season rotating up through the wings. In spite of the role change Richards still experienced a case of the second year blues, lowering his possession average by two. Only once did the precision-kicker gather more than 20 touches. Richards will benefit from the enhanced endurance another preseason provides and could be in line for a third-year breakout if he can lock down a spot on the wing opposite Lachie Hunter. Given his trailing average is a full thirty points under the midfielder baseline, wait until you see improvement to pick him up from the free agent pool.
Simply red, white and blue
Debuting against the Eagles in round 2, Ed Richards began in a half back role, then was thrust forward against the Power in round 13, kicking three majors. Splitting his time across multiple positions from that match forward, the youngster averaged 14 touches per outing. Richards struggled with fatigue towards the end of the season, with four of his final six performances generating 10 possessions or less. The Bulldogs have a raft of HBF options, so Richards may have to settle at half forward. Playing as a half back or winger through his junior career, the youngster showed early potential in attack with seven majors from his first three but, like many young players, he lacked the stamina to run out a season at the top level. Unlikely to demand selection in the upcoming campaign, Richards may figure more heavily in twelve months’ time.
Richards uses his head
Missing the Championships through injury, Ed Richards nonetheless made the first round in the most recent draft with a highly impressive 81% efficiency off half back, hitting 20 disposals twice in nine full TAC Cup games. Richards can also rotate to the centre to contest stoppages, although his body size suggests he may not be able to cut it in that department at AFL level for a while. He should play mostly in the VFL, as the Dogs have a surfeit of HBF options.
