Daniel Rich
Rich playing for Brisbane in August 2018
Personal information
Full name Daniel Rich
Nickname(s) Dan, Richy, Bam Bam
Date of birth (1990-06-07) 7 June 1990 (age 33)
Original team(s) Subiaco (WAFL)
Draft No. 7, 2008 national draft
Height 183 cm (6 ft 0 in)
Weight 95 kg (209 lb)
Position(s) Defender
Club information
Current club Brisbane Lions
Number 10
Playing career1
Years Club Games (Goals)
2009–2023 Brisbane Lions 275 (116)
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of the 2023 season.
Career highlights
Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

Daniel Rich (born 7 June 1990) is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played for the Brisbane Lions in the Australian Football League (AFL). He began his career in 2009, winning the Rising Star in his first year. After 275 AFL games and one All-Australian selection (in 2021), he retired in 2023.

Early life

Prior to being drafted by Brisbane, Rich had already amassed a considerable football résumé. This included under-18 selection for Western Australia in both 2007 and 2008, including selection for the All-Australian team both years, as well as playing in two senior premierships for Subiaco in the WAFL.[1] Following strong performances at senior level, Rich was regarded by many observers as a potential top-two selection in the months leading up to the draft.[2]

AFL career

Rich made an impressive senior debut in Round 1, 2009, amassing 21 possessions and 4 tackles, a performance which garnered him the Rising Star nomination for Round 1.[3] He was rewarded for an outstanding first-year season with the 2009 NAB Rising Star award, being only the second Rising Star winner to poll maximum votes from all 9 judges; he also created history by becoming the third consecutive player to be drafted at pick seven and win the award. The praise for Rich's debut season kept coming, this time coming from the players themselves, after winning the AFLPA award for Best First-Year Player by more than 400 votes.

Following a stellar first season, Rich added bulk to his frame over the 2010 pre-season and established himself as a key component of the Lions midfield in 2010. While he was consistently among the Lions top performers in the midfield, he particularly shone in the half-back line towards the tail end of the season in the Lions’ narrow loss to St Kilda in Round 15, against Melbourne in Round 18, and Essendon in Round 21. He led the Lions in inside-50s (93) and was second for tackles with 103, and had an impressive average of 19 disposals per game. He finished inside the top ten in the 2010 Merrett–Murray Medal, placing 8th with 24.5 votes.

Rich played his 100th AFL game against Geelong in Round 2, 2014, but he suffered a season-ending ACL injury in the loss to the Gold Coast Suns the following week.[4]

Rich was selected for the 2021 All-Australian team in the half-back position. He was the only Lion to make the team in 2021.[5]

In Round 13 of the 2023 season, after the Lions were shockingly upset by Hawthorn, fellow Lion Jack Gunston and Rich voluntarily stood themselves down from selection after being unhappy with their form.[6]

On the 4th of September, 2023, Rich announced his retirement at the conclusion of the 2023 season, after a 275-game career.[7]

Rich was not selected at AFL level again after he stood himself down after the Hawks game, meaning he was not a part of the Lions’s squad for the 2023 AFL Grand Final. This was the first time the club had made it to the grand final during Rich’s time at the club, which was seen by many in the wider AFL community as unfortunate timing due to Rich’s loyalty to the club during their time at the bottom of the ladder, but also reflective of his selfless and loyal attitude at the club.[8] Prior to the aforementioned grand final, Rich won the 2023 edition of the Fox Footy Longest Kick, kicking a total distance of 69.5 metres (228 ft)—which is the second-longest kick in the competition's 8-year history—and winning $10,000.[9][10]

Rich announced on the Kick Ons podcast, hosted by teammates Cameron Rayner and Hugh McCluggage, that he would remain at the Lions after his retirement, but he has yet to announce in what capacity that will be.[11]

Personal life

Rich was educated in Western Australia, attending secondary schooling at Sacred Heart College, Sorrento. He has two children, Xander and Indiana. He played junior football for Sorrento-Duncraig, part of the Subiaco junior district.

Statistics

Legend
  G  
 Goals
  K  
 Kicks
  D  
 Disposals 
  T  
 Tackles
  B  
 Behinds 
  H  
 Handballs 
  M  
 Marks
  †  
 Led the league for 
the season
Season Team No. Games Totals Averages (per game) Votes
G B K H D M T G B K H D M T
2009 Brisbane Lions 10 24 14 17 245 170 415 71 106 0.6 0.7 10.2 7.1 17.3 3.0 4.4 6
2010 Brisbane Lions 10 22 6 14 237 189 426 61 103 0.3 0.6 10.8 8.6 19.4 2.8 4.7 2
2011 Brisbane Lions 10 16 14 12 198 109 307 42 76 0.9 0.8 12.4 6.8 19.2 2.6 4.8 0
2012 Brisbane Lions 10 20 20 13 269 165 434 73 65 1.0 0.7 13.5 8.3 21.7 3.7 3.3 8
2013 Brisbane Lions 10 16 13 9 166 130 296 27 45 0.8 0.6 10.4 8.1 18.5 1.7 2.8 5
2014 Brisbane Lions 10 3 0 1 24 23 47 11 8 0 0.3 8.0 7.7 15.7 3.7 2.7 0
2015 Brisbane Lions 10 21 9 8 240 168 408 57 67 0.4 0.4 11.4 8.0 19.4 2.7 3.2 3
2016 Brisbane Lions 10 21 17 8 256 156 412 67 93 0.8 0.4 12.2 7.4 19.6 3.2 4.4 0
2017 Brisbane Lions 10 22 8 11 322 147 469 81 35 0.4 0.5 14.6 6.7 21.3 3.7 1.6 4
2018 Brisbane Lions 10 18 1 4 219 133 352 68 42 0.0 0.2 12.1 7.3 19.5 3.7 2.3 0
2019 Brisbane Lions 10 24 4 4 432 108 540 137 48 0.1 0.1 18.0 4.5 22.5 5.7 2.0 0
2020[a] Brisbane Lions 10 15 4 2 218 39 257 74 19 0.2 0.1 14.5 2.6 17.1 4.9 1.2 2
2021 Brisbane Lions 10 24 3 10 514† 110 624 137 42 0.1 0.4 21.4† 4.6 26.0 5.7 1.8 6
2022 Brisbane Lions 10 22 1 3 404 104 508 99 35 0.0 0.1 18.4 4.7 23.1 4.5 1.6 0
2023 Brisbane Lions 10 7 2 0 113 24 137 38 2 0.3 0.0 16.1 3.4 19.6 5.4 0.3 1
Career[12] 275 116 116 3857 1774 5631 1043 786 0.4 0.4 14.0 6.5 20.5 3.8 2.9 37

Notes

  1. ^ The 2020 season was played with 17 home-and-away matches per team (down from 22) and 16-minute quarters with time on (down from 20-minute quarters with time on) due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Honours and achievements

Team

Individual

References

  1. ^ "Lions hit draft jackpot by getting Rich". The Age website. 29 November 2008. Archived from the original on 6 December 2008. Retrieved 2 December 2008.
  2. ^ "Eagles still undecided on Rich, Naitanui". Sydney Morning Herald website. 28 October 2008. Archived from the original on 11 September 2009. Retrieved 2008-12-15.
  3. ^ "NAB AFL Rising Star: Rd 1". Australian Football League website. 31 March 2009. Archived from the original on 1 April 2009. Retrieved 20 June 2009.
  4. ^ Brisbane Lions confirm ACL injury for Daniel Rich, The Age, 7 April 2014
  5. ^ [https://www.afl.com.au/news/670638/all-australian-team-2021/amp ALL-AUSTRALIAN TEAM: Dees dominate, 11 new faces, first-time captain], 26 August 2021
  6. ^ [https://7news.com.au/sport/afl/brisbane-lions-rocked-as-jack-gunston-and-daniel-rich-stand-down-from-afl-selection-indefinitely-c-10983956.amp Brisbane Lions rocked as Jack Gunston and Daniel Rich stand down from AFL selection indefinitely], 15 June 2023
  7. ^ Daniel Rich Announces Retirement, 4 September 2023
  8. ^ The 2023 Toyota Grand Final Team, 28 September 2023
  9. ^ "'Who does that?!' Lions' dream GF build-up, Fev bombs into Yarra in wild Longest Kick". Fox Sports. 30 September 2023. Retrieved 1 October 2023.
  10. ^ Longest Kick 2023: Daniel Rich claims CHAOTIC victory as Fevola ends up in Yarra!? | Fox Footy, retrieved 1 October 2023
  11. ^ Kick Ons Episode 26: Daniel Rich, 13 September 2023
  12. ^ "AFL Tables - Daniel Rich - Stats - Statistics".

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Daniel Rich.
Ron Evans Medal • AFL Rising Star winners
2021 All-Australian team
AFL Players Association best first-year player
Michael Tuck Medal
2009 AFL Rising Star nominees
2008 AFL national draft
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