Banfield earned a Rising Star nomination for his impressive performance against Sydney last Saturday night when he kicked a career-high three goals. He now has nine goals from six matches and fulfills a critical role up forward for the Lions.
Rich and Banfield both arrived at the Lions via the 2008 AFL National Draft having played with and against each other during their junior days in Perth.
Banfield said earlier this week that he has taken a great deal of inspiration from Rich's debut season.
“I played against Todd in the WAFL when we were 17 or 18 years old," Rich said.
"He is a really good young player, so it is no surprise to me to see how well he is doing.”
Now Rich remains focussed on performing his role each week and dealing with the inevitable extra attention from the opposition.
The modest 19 year-old believes the emergence of other young players including Banfield, Tom Rockliff, Jack Redden and James Polkinghorne has also helped take some of the heat off himself.
“There are a lot of great players in the midfield, so I am not always getting all the attention,” Rich said.
“So long as I am still playing my role, that is the most important thing.”
While Rich seems mature and composed on the field, last Saturday night’s match against the Sydney Swans was still only his 30th senior AFL appearance.
“I am really enjoying my footy at the moment and loving playing with all the guys. There are a lot of good players in the side, so it is good to be doing what I can for the team,” he said.
“If I can do my part then I am happy.”
