Western Bulldogs defender Ed Richards knows spots in the backline won’t come easy this season.
With the likes of Bailey Dale, Caleb Daniel, Taylor Duryea, Bailey Williams and Alex Keath already occupying spots, the 22-year-old said he’s been working hard on his game, with the aim of securing more match minutes in 2022.
“I’m very excited for this year - I obviously had a few injuries last year, so I didn’t get as much playing time as I probably would have liked,” Richards said following the Bulldogs’ practice match against Essendon.'
“I’m really excited to crack in and cement my spot in the team, and just be really reliable for my teammates down back.
“I think I can play the (half-back) position pretty well – I just need to knuckle down and work really hard because there are some really good half-back players in this team, and there’s a lot of good backmen.”
Richards was a shining light in the Bulldogs’ first hit-out against opposition for 2022, impressing with his pace and precision.
“It’s something I’ve sort of been working on – trying to get involved, get my hands on the footy and use it well,” he said.
“I thought I used the ball pretty well today, as did most of our half-backs, but we probably just squandered a few opportunities going inside 50, which is probably what hurt us on the scoreboard.
“I’m sure we can tighten those things up before round one in March.”
The Bulldogs will next host Brisbane in the 2022 AAMI Community Series practice match next Friday evening at Marvel Stadium, before their season-opener against Melbourne on Wednesday 16 March.
