Swans re-sign key defender Ted Richards
Full-back Ted Richards will extend his stay with the Sydney Swans
SYDNEY Swans full-back Ted Richards will extend his AFL career into a 14th season after re-signing for 2015.
Richards was due to come out of contract at the end of this season when the 31-year-old would have been an unrestricted free agent.
But a Swans spokesman confirmed on Monday that Richards had recently re-signed for one more season.
The defender has played 207 AFL games and finished seventh in the Swans' 2013 best and fairest.
Despite his advancing age, Richards has been remarkably durable in recent seasons, having played 62 consecutive games since round 15, 2011.
Richards enjoyed his best season in the Swans' 2012 premiership year, finishing second in the club best and fairest award and being named at centre half-back in the All Australian team.
Richards joined the Swans in 2006 after four seasons and 33 games at Essendon, playing in that year's Grand Final team that lost to the Eagles by one point.
The Swans announced that they had re-signed co-captain Jarrad McVeigh on Sunday.
McVeigh and Richards join a growing list of recently signed players. The list includes Josh Kennedy, Kieren Jack, Dan Hannebery, Gary Rohan, Sam Reid, Nick Smith and Ben McGlynn.
The signings come despite the Swans' salary cap pressure after giving large contracts to Kurt Tippett and Lance Franklin.