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Sport Nation
Career-best Bulldog quickly becoming a Champion Data ‘Immortal’
SEN • June 18th, 2025 12:09 pm
Western Bulldogs midfielder Ed Richards is so far producing an out-of-this-world season.
According to Champion Data’s ratings, the 25-year-old is keeping esteemed company with some of the game’s absolute greats.
Over the journey, just three players have averaged a player rating of more than 20 - Gary Ablett Jnr, Patrick Dangerfield and Dustin Martin - and in 2025 Richards is delivering the same.
Leading analyst Daniel Hoyne says the star Bulldog is well on his way to becoming a Champion Data ‘Immortal’.
“What we are looking to do at the end of this 2025 campaign is induct the fourth Champion Data ‘Immortal’,” Hoyne said on SEN’s Sportsday.
“In the current Champion Data ‘Immortals’ we have: Gary Ablett Jnr, Patrick Dangerfield and Dustin Martin.
“The fourth Champion Data ‘Immortal’ if he keeps going this way will be Ed Richards.”
What’s the criteria to becoming a Champion Data ‘Immortal’?
“AFL Player Rating points, that is the single most efficient and best way to measure impact of an individual,” Hoyne continued.
“It takes into account how you win it, what you do with it and where on the ground you actually win it.
“To keep this really simple, if you get a 15-rating game that’s All-Australian level. If you get a 20-plus rated game, that is out-of-this-world good as an individual game.
“Our AFL Ratings have been going for 15 years. Across a season, the only three players we have seen average an out-of-this-world season (20-plus points) - Gazza, Dangerfield, Dusty and currently Ed Richards.
“We have never seen a midfielder use the ball better in a season so far than what Ed Richards is doing since Gary Ablett Jnr in 2010.
“If people want to talk about who is the best player in the competition, stop the argument, start the question again (and say) who is the second best player? Because it’s not even close.
“The beauty about this guy is he can do it in so many different ways.
“Please people, start to appreciate what he is doing. Gazza, Dusty, Danger - enough said.”
Richards is averaging 26.6 disposals (25th in the AFL), 7.15 inside 50s (1st in the AFL), 5.4 clearances, has provided 22 goal assists (1st in the AFL) at an average of 1.7, and averages over 8 score involvements which ranks 1st in the AFL.
