MORE than 100 young players have been drafted to the AFL in the past month but you'd struggle to find one happier than Xavier Richards.
The 19-year-old from Sandringham Dragons joined big brother Ted in Sydney after the Swans took him with pick 29 in last week's rookie draft.
The former Xavier College student, who played with the Dragons in the TAC Cup and the Zebras in the VFL in 2012 after missing out in last year's draft, was thrilled to be picked up.
"Rookie, senior list, it's all the same to me," he said. "I've got my foot in the door now, I've got the same resources the seniors guys and I'm training just like them. I'm just over the moon I've got the opportunity."
Richards was pragmatic about missing out last year.
"I was immature physically and I hadn't played a lot of footy," he said. "This year I put on about 9kg and played more senior footy. I worked on my composure and I didn't have school as a distraction."
Brother Ted has played 181 AFL games, 148 at Essendon, and became a premiership player this year when the Swans beat Hawthorn by 10 points in the grand final.
Like Ted, Xavier is a defender and the two will now live together for the first time in years.
"Ted moved to Sydney when I was about 12," Richards said. "I'm very close to him and I'm going to love being in the same team. We'll become a lot closer.
He and his family all viewed grand final day "as the best day of our lives" and Richards hopes to play in one of his own with Ted.
"I couldn't have gone to a better club. Sydney's the best team in the competition," he said.
"I was so happy for Ted and perhaps one day I can play in a grand final."v
Last Modified on 18/01/2013 10:18