Richo can't rely just on AFL reputation
The Age - Breaking News
March 21, 2006 - 5:44PM
Although he has been a Richmond favourite for over a decade, forward Matthew Richardson believes he cannot rely on reputation alone to ensure his AFL career continues beyond 2006.
Richardson is determined to use this season as a platform to extend his playing days at Punt Road, and is aiming to make the final season of a three-year deal a springboard for a new contract.
The 31-year-old full-forward has booted 645 goals from 216 games and is coming off a 2005 season which yielded 65 goals - a season mark he has bettered only twice before - but he knows he must continue impressing to keep playing.
Richmond bolstered its attacking options during the off-season by throwing former Western Bulldog Patrick Bowden a lifeline, and drafting former under-18 All-Australian forward Cleve Hughes in the national draft.
The Tigers are also fast tracking the development of young forward Adam Pattison, who kicked two goals during the Tigers' 51-point loss to Essendon in last Friday's practice game in Mildura.
Richardson made his debut as a raw 18-year-old in 1993, but faces strong competition despite becoming only the third Tiger to kick more than 600 career goals (Jack Titus and Kevin Bartlett are the others).
"As for the future years, I'm not too sure - my contract runs out at the end of this year, so I guess it depends on how I play this year," Richardson said.
"I want to play on and I have stated that, (coach) Terry (Wallace) has said he would like me to play on.
"Form is something you have got to maintain once you get to a certain age I guess, so I need to make sure I get a kick."
Richardson admitted the Tigers' second-half season fade-out last year, spurred by the season-ending leg injury to star Nathan Brown, had been a point of focus at the club this pre-season.
The Tigers lost 10 of their last 13 games in 2005.
"One thing we're focusing on is the second-half of the season, I mean we have got a pretty hard draw for the first month, so we need to make sure we get through that," Richardson said.
"We have got a lot of games at the MCG towards the end of the year, so we know the challenge is there for us in the first five or six weeks, that's all we're really focusing on at the moment.
Richardson believed fullback Darren Gaspar would overcome a corked calf to play the Western Bulldogs in round one.
© 2006 AAP
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