Ted Richards

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).

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, and was dropped for the following round. It was his limited opportunities at the club which ultimately led to him being traded.

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 new club 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.

Richards played in the 2006 AFL Grand Final and put in a good effort, despite being knocked unconscious in the final five minutes and is said to have lost memory of parts of the game.