Under the radar Richard Douglas has made his presence felt at the Adelaide Crows

AS Adelaide prepares for its long-awaited “grudge match’’ against defector Jake Lever in Alice Springs, Crow Richard Douglas will quietly tick another box in his under the radar football journey.

LEAP OF FAITH: A teenage Richard Douglas in his draft year in 2005.

AS Adelaide prepares for its long-awaited “grudge match’’ against controversial defector Jake Lever in Alice Springs, Crow Richard Douglas will on Sunday quietly tick another box in his under-the-radar football journey.

When the 31-year-old runs out at Traeger Park for his 229th game, he will draw level with Ben Rutten in 10th spot for the most games in club history.

Douglas will jump into a group that includes such luminaries as dual Norm Smith Medallist Andrew McLeod, Brownlow Medallist Mark Ricciuto, dual premiership player Tyson Edwards and current Melbourne coach Simon Goodwin, who will lead the Demons into battle against the club he starred with as a player for 14 years.

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Just as significantly — in an era of increasing player movement — Douglas is the only Victorian in the top 10.

Crows club record holder McLeod was born in Darwin in the Northern Territory but every other member of Adelaide’s top 10 list is from South Australia.

While Adelaide has lost a succession of key players to interstate rivals in recent years, including Lever, Brownlow Medallist Patrick Dangerfield (Geelong), Kurt Tippett (Sydney), Jack Gunston (Hawthorn) and Charlie Cameron (Brisbane), Douglas has stayed loyal to the club that drafted him at pick 16 in 2005 as an 18-year-old from Victorian TAC Cup side Calder Cannons.

Richard Douglas will join an illustrious group at Adelaide. Picture Matt Turner

Douglas — an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season — revealed to The Advertiser that he had begun discussions with the Crows to extend his contract for another year and had never seriously contemplated leaving the club to return home to Victoria.

“I fully appreciate guys who assess their options and consider what’s best for them but I’ve always dreamt of playing at the one club for my entire career and hopefully that can happen,’’ said Douglas as out-of-contract teammates and fellow Victorians Rory Sloane and Tom Lynch continue to weigh up their futures.

“I’m in discussions with the club about a new deal and hopefully something can get done sooner rather than later and I can lock myself away for another season.

“I’d love to stay at Adelaide and finish my career here because I think I’m a loyal guy and it would mean a lot to me to be a one-club player.

“I also want to repay the faith the club has shown in me, first by drafting me and then looking after me with my contracts, along with the support they’ve shown my family, so there is nowhere else I would rather be.’’

Douglas is in a four-year relationship with an Adelaide girl, Ally.

“Adelaide is basically my home now,’’ he said.

“I’ve been here for 13 years and am very settled and comfortable.’’

A teenage Richard Douglas in 2005.

Douglas has been one of the Crows’ unsung heroes.

While he won a club champion award in 2010 and was runner-up in 2013, he doesn’t get the accolades that his career has deserved.

Teammate Brad Crouch tweeted during Adelaide’s Round 7 win against Carlton that Douglas is “the most underrated player in the comp by a long way’’.

“That was very nice of Brad,’’ said Douglas.

“I did read that tweet but there are a lot of players who go unrecognised by sections of the public and media but for me it’s never been about external accolades.

“The most important thing for me is how I feel I am going and how I am perceived within the four walls of the footy club.’’

The answer to that is simple.

Douglas has twice been voted Adelaide’s best team man — in 2013 and 2017 — an award he described as “very special’’.

Drafted as a midfielder/forward, the 181cm running machine — who loves a goal, booting 156 in his career — has become the Crows’ “Mr Fix-it”.

He jokes that the only position he has never played is ruck.

Richard Douglas celebrates a goal.

“As a footballer, especially with how the game is played now, you need to have plenty of strings to your bow,’’ Douglas said.

“When you are not playing great footy, being flexible can sometimes keep you in the side.

“I think that’s been one of my great strengths.’’

Douglas spent the last off-season training as a defender, alongside exciting playmaker Wayne Milera, as the Crows planned for a season without injured 2014 All-Australian Brodie Smith.

But with injuries to key on-ballers Sloane and the Crouch brothers, Brad and Matt, Douglas has had to slot back into the middle of the ground, where he has become an important cog in the midfield wheel.

“Training with the backline group in the off-season and learning new things really rejuvenated me,’’ Douglas said.

“It was something I really embraced and enjoyed but (injury) circumstances have led me back to more midfield and forward time, which are positions that come more naturally to me.

“With on-field leaders being out of the side I’ve tried to take on more of a leadership role this season and while my form has been consistent, not outstanding, I’m playing a role for the team, which is what I pride myself on.’’

Douglas described joining the Crows’ top-10 player list as “great’’.

“It’s proof of longevity, which is important to me,’’ he said.

“I’m pretty proud of my career and what I’ve been able to achieve and I hope there’s a bit more left yet.

Richard Douglas tackles Ryan Griffen in 2007.

“There’s some club legends ahead of me, so it would be great to climb up even higher on that list and play a lot more games for the footy club.

“I still feel that I’ve got plenty of good football in front of me.’’

Douglas finds it ironic that he will break into the top 10 for Adelaide on a day he plays Melbourne — the team he grew up supporting.

“It’s funny how that has worked out because I loved the Demons,’’ he said.

“I have vivid memories of going to the ’G (MCG) with my brother Robbie and old man and smelling the grass, which sparked my passion for the game.

“Garry Lyon, David Neitz, David Schwarz, Stephen Tingay were among the guys that I idolised and to be able to now play games at the MCG and carve out an AFL career of my own has been pretty special.’’

Not that Douglas is satisfied.

A member of the Crows’ pre-season premiership side in 2012, he craves team success.

While he has played in 13 finals for Adelaide, including last year’s Grand Final loss to Richmond, the main flag has eluded him.

“That’s the one thing everyone at our club wants,’’ Douglas said.

“We want redemption for last year.

“It’s driving me and it’s driving everyone else at our footy club.

“We’ve had our challenges for a number of years now, things have worked against us, some unfortunate things (including the deaths of former coach Phil Walsh and assistant coach Dean Bailey).

“But I feel that we are as close to a flag as we have been in my time at the club.

“We’ve had some injuries to deal with this year but to still be 6-3 is a credit to the playing group and the footy club as a whole.

“That gives me great confidence in what we are about and where we are going and hopefully this can be the year that we finally go all the way.’’

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