The Western Bulldogs have secured the services of gun midfielder Ed Richards for the long term, signing the free agent until the end of 2030.
The five-year contract extension is set to take Richards through to the end of his 13th campaign at the Kennel.
Richards is enjoying a career-best year in the red, white and blue, leading the competition for goal assists, inside 50s and score involvements.
The 25-year-old is averaging 26.78 disposals, 7.11 inside 50s, 5.11 clearances and 11.11 contested possessions per game in 2025.
โI love the Club and I love the people here, which is the main reason for me wanting to stay and put pen to paper,โ Richards said of his re-signing.
โThe redevelopment, the playing group, the coaching group - everything is always a contributing factor when it comes to signing a deal.
โI feel like the Club is in a really strong position at the moment, so it was an easy decision in the end.โ
Richards was among the last five restricted free agents for 2025, with his commitment to the Dogs leaving just Tom De Koning, Brandon Starcevich, James Worpel and Oscar Allen as the last remaining free agents under the restricted band.
The retention of Richards is one of the top targets for the Bulldogs' list management team, who already secured new deals for Sam Darcy (2029) and Rory Lobb (2027) this year.
The Western Bulldogs still have the likes of Marcus Bontempelli, Adam Treloar, Tom Liberatore, Jason Johannisen, Liam Jones and Laitham Vandermeer, among others, unsigned for 2026.
