Joe Richards opens up on his move to Collingwood straight out of the Ovens and Murray

Richards swapped the classroom in Wangaratta for one of Australian sport's great playgrounds when he was taken by Collingwood as pick 48 in the national draft last November, straight out of the Ovens and Murray.

But while the sight of Richards on the track with Scott Pendlebury, Jordan De Goey, Mason Cox & Co is somewhat surreal, the 22-year-old looks completely at home out there, taking the life-changing adventure just as he would a fizzing handball - in his stride.

"It's a pretty big adjustment," Richards said after completing his morning's work at the AIA Centre.

"You go from training twice a week for two hours to four days a week and once you're here, you're pretty much on the whole time.

"It's completely different to last year, where you rock up, do a few drills and then go home.

"But the last three months have been really good.

"This is the fittest and strongest I've been and that's what you get with an AFL environment, I guess.

"I've loved it so far."

First impressions go a long way, especially when you come into the AFL as a mature-age recruit, and Richards looks to have ticked that box.

"Joey's been a good story," Collingwood coach Craig McRae smiled.

"He's a great story for anyone that doesn't get drafted at 18-19.

"We gave him a chance to come down into a full-time, professional environment and I'm seeing more and more of what we like about Joey every week that he's here.

"We started him down back and now we've moved him back to his customary forward role.

"I think we'll see the best of him in the coming weeks."

This time last year, Richards was getting ready to face Albury; this week, he's been sat in team meetings with a focus on counter-acting reigning premiers Geelong at the MCG.

So how exactly did this happen?

"I first started to get a bit of interest in the mid-season draft from Geelong, so that's when I started to think it could be a possibility," Richards explained.

"After that, there was a window where everything went quiet for a couple of months and then more and more interest sparked out of the finals series.

"I kept in touch with my manager and I knew that if I had a decent finals series, I'd be half a sniff to go in the draft.

"Ben Reid (the Wangaratta coach and Collingwood premiership player) was massive for me as I started to get a bit of AFL attention.

"I was speaking to him a couple of days a week, asking questions about the process I was going through because he's been through it before."

Richards was linked with a host of clubs and it all came down to November 29, 2022 - draft night.

"I was at home with some family and friends and it was a bit of an anxious wait," he reflected.

"It was pretty late in the draft so it was two or three hours of nervous waiting.

"Eventually, I heard my name called out and it was more relief than anything.

"There wasn't much of a turnaround.

"One day, I was working in education and the next day, I was down here.

"I met the staff the next day, so I didn't have much time to think about it.

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"We got a bit of an introduction when no-one was here, which was probably better than rocking up and having to introduce yourself to 40 other guys."

Richards walked through the door with fellow draftees Ed Allan and Jakob Ryan that first day, a door which looked to have been shut when his solitary season with the Murray Bushrangers, in 2017, failed to lead to the promised land.

"I was 16 when I started playing seniors so that's when I realised I had a bit of talent and could possibly take it further," Richards recalled.

"I did the Murray Bushrangers when I was 18 but I wasn't really a chance to get picked up then.

"The couple of years after I missed out, I didn't really think about it too much.

"I had no motivation to move to Melbourne to do VFL football so I was pretty happy just staying in Wang and playing Ovens and Murray football."

And what a star of the competition Richards would prove to be, serving up a series of champagne moments in the 83 senior games he played from 2015-2022.

"It definitely helps when you're winning!" Richards said.

"I think you enjoy it a fair bit more.

"The reason we were so successful was just because of the guys there, even the coaches and assistant coaches. It's a really good club with a good culture so I enjoyed my time there."

Bowing out on a high, Richards kicked a miracle goal in last season's grand final epic against Yarrawonga and finished with the cup in his hands.

But from being one of the first names on Reid's team sheet, he's now faced with the challenge of convincing McRae he's ready to make his mark on the big time.

"All the new recruits have been really good with me, just because they're in the same situation," Richards said.

"Billy Frampton, Tom Mitchell, Dan McStay and Bobby Hill have all been really good, they always give you the time of day so I'd probably say those four have been the ones to help me settle in.

"I'm playing the half-forward role and the feedback's been pretty good so far.

"It's pretty rare that someone rolls in, first year, and gets a game in round one unless you're Nick Daicos.

"But the feedback's been really good so far and I think I'm progressing pretty well."

Richards is whisked away to a weights session and we're left beside the deserted oval, looking up at the magnificent MCG.

When he does play his first game there, you won't find a more popular or deserving debutant anywhere.

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