Ed Richards no longer sees himself as a Collingwood supporter but is having a hard time convincing his dad
HE carries one of the most famous surnames in the AFL. But for Ed Richards, his days in the black and white army are officially over. However, it hasn’t been that simple for his family of loyal Magpie fans.
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ED Richards has a problem. It’s about conversion.
Not the goalkicking type or religion — well, some would argue it is about religion.
Richards’ dad Kane, you see, has a blind faith in Collingwood.
Kane’s father and Ed’s poppa Ron played 143 games for the Magpies, including the 1953 flag.
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There’s also Kane’s uncle Lou, Ed’ great uncle, the legendary Lou Richards who captained that ‘53 premiership outfit.
And then there’s Lou and Ron’s grandfather, Charlie Pannam Snr, also a premiership Magpie after 229 games in black and white played in the late 1800s and early 1900s.
Pannam’s sons, Charlie Jnr and Alby, also played very good football for Collingwood.
It’s easy to see how club allegiance has always been black and white for Dad.
Ed remembers fondly an old photo of him as a baby — then known as Edward — clad in black and white and cradled in the arms of Ron and Lou out the front of Victoria Park.
“Our whole family was pretty Collingwood — I suppose very Collingwood,” Richards said this week.
“That was something we always took pride in.
“But I think moving here, I think once you’re around the club all the time, you sort of just, I guess you lose that part of you because you’re now so invested in the Western Bulldogs.
“It’s all behind me now. I was a Collingwood supporter, I’m not any more.
“I haven’t really converted dad yet into a Bulldog, he’s still pretty black and white, but he might get there eventually.”
Richards met Collingwood briefly ahead of the 2017 draft, but it was the Bulldogs who took the Carey Grammar graduate with pick No.16.
“There wasn’t really that much interest because I probably wasn’t going around in the middle of where their picks were,” Richards said.
“There wasn’t really much interest from their perspective, but I did meet with them. I think I was pretty happy to go anywhere.”
Fewer people bring up his famous surname these days and after two promising AFL games, he’s making a name for himself.
“I’m a player now, so it’s a bit different, which I actually quite like,” he admitted.
Meeting Richards, he appears relaxed and considered. He’s proven to be that way on the football field too since making his debut in Round 2.
He gathered 11 touches and positive notices in that game against West Coast and one fan was ahead of the game, tweeting before the match: “@etihadstadiumau no Ed Richards badges. You’re f----- kidding”.
Teammate Marcus Bontempelli lauded the 18-year-old’s composure after Richards notched 17 touches and buoyed Bulldogs supporters with his work off half-back in the win against Essendon.
“He’s good, the kid,” Bontempelli said.
“His composure is the element of the game (I like). He’s able to move quickly but sort of slow down as well and set up the game and set up the field.”
So his speed and game sense is already evident.
His mop of rich red hair also makes him hard to miss.
He had all the nicknames as a kid; Sauce, Ranga, etc. At Whitten Oval it’s simply Richo or just Ed.
Richards spent his early junior days as a midfielder before making the move into defence after a growth spurt (he’s now 185cm). That’s when things started to get more serious.
“It was frustrating because I wanted to play midfield but I was very undersized, I was skinny, short, couldn’t really get near it amongst these man-childs in under-15s,” Richards recalls, laughing.
“And then probably under-17 I was playing school footy for Carey, trying to get that Oakleigh (TAC Cup) call-up for the next year and I did and that was when I started playing half-back.”
He’s already feeling good about the bond with his new defender mates at the Bulldogs, including fellow first-year player Aaron Naughton.
“We’re all just trying to learn and just trying to get better,” Richards said.
“I guess we’ve got a lot to catch up on, with Bob (Murphy) and Matty Boyd leaving, it’s a lot of games to account for.”
Relations of a more profound variety will be tested in Round 10 when the Bulldogs face Collingwood at Etihad Stadium.
Surely all the family will have to barrack for Ed?
“You’d think so,” Richards said with a smile. “You’d hope so.
“I don’t know about Dad though. He’s a Collingwood supporter, they’re pretty, you know ...
“I’m pretty sure he would barrack for me. Actually, I’m sure he would. 100 per cent. I’ll back him in.”
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Originally published as Ed Richards no longer sees himself as a Collingwood supporter but is having a hard time convincing his dad
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