Introduction Daniel Rich is a high possession-winning in-and-under midfielder with a penetrating left foot and quality skills. The high-profile West Australian recruit received the AFL Rising Star Award in his debut season with the Lions and is now widely regarded as one of the most damaging midfielders in the AFL competition. Background • West Australian Daniel Rich was an accomplished junior footballer who achieved plenty before even reaching the AFL ranks. • He joined WAFL side Subiaco in 2007 and played senior football in his first season. • He graduates from the esteemed AIS/AFL Academy and represented Western Australia in the 2007 U18 national championships and earned All-Australian honours. • He starred in Subiaco’s 2007 finals campaign including their Grand Final win over Claremont which catapulted him to one of the most talked about teenage prospects in the country. • During his final year as a junior, Rich showed his leadership potential by captaining Western Australia in the U18 championships and earned All-Australian honours for the second consecutive season. • He was also a key part of Subiaco’s back-to-back premiership winning team. Remarkably, Rich had featured in two senior WAFL premierships before even being drafted to the AFL. • Rich was lauded as an almost certain top three selection pre-draft and had even been tipped to be the first player chosen in November’s selection meeting. • He was unable to participate in much of the Draft Camp testing due to a sore hamstring sustained in the WAFL Grand Final, but still managed to impressive the club recruiters. • He proved the 2009 National Draft’s big slider, falling to Pick No.7 where the Lions had no hesitation in reading out the highly credentialed West Australian’s name with the Club’s first selection. 2009 • The West Australian teenager didn't put a foot wrong in his first pre-season with the Lions and was rewarded with selection in the Club's season opener against West Coast (the team he had previously supported) at the Gabba. • Rich had the football world talking after he collected 21 disposals and had eight inside 50s in his first match. The performance earned him the first AFL Rising Star Nomination for the 2009 season and he was immediately intilled as the favourite to take out the award. • Rich became a regular contributor to the senior side. His hard-tackling and ball-winning ability were features of his game while his penetrating left foot regularly found targets inside the Lions' attacking zones. • He collected a season-high 32 disposals against eventual premiers Geelong in Round 15 at the Gabba which further cemented his status as the game's best young player. • He starred in his first trip back to Subiaco Oval in Round 16, collecting 31 disposals and kicking a 60m goal in the wet against Fremantle. • He played all 24 senior matches in 2009 - including two Finals - and averaged an impressive 17.3 disposals per match. He also kicked 14 goals during the season which ranked him fifth overall at the Club. • He became only the second person in history to be unanimously voted as the AFL Rising Star - receiving top votes from all nine judges. He became only the third person in Club history to take home the prestigious award. • Rich received further accolades at the AFLPA Awards when he blitzed the field to take home the Best First Year Player Award. • Not surprisingly, he won the Lions' Rookie of the Year award and also finished 6th overall in the Merrett-Murray Medal - the highest ever placing of a first year Brisbane Lions player.
2010 • Following a stellar first season in 2009 which saw him win the AFL Rising Star award among other honours, 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 Rich 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. • Rich led the Lions in inside 50s (93) and was second for tackles with 103, and had an impressive average of 19 disposals per game. • Rich has not missed a senior AFL game since his debut in round 1 of the 2009 season, playing all 22 games in 2010 and bringing his total AFL games to 46 in just two years. • He finished inside the top ten at the Club Champion Award, at eighth place with 24.5 votes. 2011 • After starring in the Club's 2011 pre-season campaign, Rich assumed his position as one of the team's key midfielders and continued to receive plenty of attention from the opposition.  • He went on to play a critical role in each of the team's first 13 matches including a dominant performance against SUNS in Round 7 where he kicked three first-half goals and collected 26 possessions in the Lions' narrow loss in QClash 1. • Midway through the season he started to notice some discomfort in his foot, but continued to play through the pain until it was determined after Round 14 that he needed a stint on the sidelines. • The stress reaction in his foot kept Rich out of action for six matches. It was a bitter blow for the durable young gun who had previously played 57 consecutive matches since his senior debut.  • Rich made a welcome return in Round 22 against reigning premiers Collingwood at the MCG, collecting 13 disposals in just over a quarter of football after starting as the substitute. • He was then among the Lions' best the following week against the Eagles when he gathered a season-high 27 touches and nine tackles in the team's narrow loss at the Gabba.  • He finished with a total of 16 senior matches in 2011 and averaged 19.2 disposals per game (just 0.2 short of his personal best). • Rich also put rest to the rumours that hinted at his potential return to WA, by re-signing with the Club for a further two seasons.
Out-of-contract midfielder says keeping the current crop of youngsters together will play a major role in any decision to re-signMonday, May 30, 2011 - 12:33PM
Not too many teenage draftees have been able to establish themselves in the AFL as quickly and seemlessly as Daniel Rich.Monday, April 18, 2011 - 12:42PM
There are plenty of things we need to work on over the next couple of days.Wednesday, April 06, 2011 - 10:49AM
Daniel Rich speaks about the upcoming Sunday afternoon game at the Gabba.Thursday, August 12, 2010 - 7:52PM
Daniel Rich shares his thoughts with Lions fans.Friday, July 30, 2010 - 2:20PM
We catch up one-on-one with the 2009 NAB AFL Rising StarThursday, September 03, 2009 - 12:25PM
Gun Brisbane Lions recruit Daniel Rich in action against West CoastSaturday, January 31, 2009 - 8:05AM
Watch some of Daniel Richs debut season highlights so farWednesday, January 28, 2009 - 2:55PM
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