Ted Richards played 261 games, featured in two grand finals and won a premiership, but two of his most memorable moments in football have come while in retirement.

The veteran defender considers his recent laps of honour, completed in front of 100,000 people at the MCG ahead of last year’s Grand Final and then at the SCG ahead of the Sydney Swans’ Round 3 clash against Collingwood, as highlights in a career spanning 15 seasons.

“To have Beau (son) on my lap while being driven around the ‘G in front of more than 100,000 people was incredibly special,” Richards recalled.

“Then being acknowledged in front of my home crowd at the SCG earlier this year was pretty exciting. Result aside, that was a real highlight of the career."

Richards will be farewelled one last time at Friday’s Legends Lunch in Melbourne, joining former teammate Ben McGlynn at ZINC at Federation Square to look back at their careers in red and white.

Given much of his family is Melbourne-based, the 34-year-old is looking forward to the opportunity of celebrating his career with the those who played such a huge role in it.

“It’s been great catching up with people I didn’t have the chance to spend much time with during my playing days,” Richards said.

“It’s quite rare to have a Swans function in Melbourne…(so) I’ve got some mates coming and it just so happens my sister (Lily) is out from Dubai so she’ll be there.

“Just being able to share my footy journey with those people will be great. We may have been living in different cities but they’ve still been a big part of it.

“They can hear me talk about myself for one last time.”

Richards, after spending the past several months enjoying some family time and taking it easy, has been keeping busy by pursuing a few interests including writing articles for Fairfax and as a guest on Fox Sports News variety show Bill and Boz.

He’s in the process of trying to crack into the world of funds management.

“I’m ready to get into the next phase of my life,” he added.

“I knew it was going to be tough, the area I want to get into is very competitive but I’m up for the challenge and giving myself every chance of getting the job I want.

“Media Street isn’t something I want to pursue as a career path but I’m really enjoying my little spots.”

While he’s got his AFL 9’s premiership-winning team to keep the footy juices flowing, his regular columns for Melbourne newspaper The Age has given him an avenue to stay engaged in the sport he’s loved for so long.

“I still want a bit of footy in my life and writing has given me a means,” he said.

“I caught up with Chris Judd, we’ve been good friends for a while now, and he actually gave great advice. He found writing about football a great process for him, it kept him engaged and kept him thinking about it without the pressures which comes with being a player.

“The opinions I’ve got might not be right but most people, I’d like to think, would find it interesting enough to read.”

Happily retired, Richards isn’t missing the inner sanctum just yet.

“My favourite time was the 10 minutes after a win, when all the guys are together just enjoying the moment, before all the talk about recovery or next week’s game arrives,” he added.

“There haven’t been too many of those moments yet where I’ve been jealous and envious that I’m not a part of it so I’m not missing footy too much yet.”

Richards has plenty more to look forward to this year. He and wife, Ella, are expecting their second child due in late October.