Lions veteran Daniel Rich has admitted that he considered leaving the club during Brisbane's "darker days", entertaining the thought of a move home to Western Australia.
Rich, who played his 250th game in Friday night's loss to Geelong, has been a regular feature in the Brisbane side since his debut in 2009, claiming numerous accolades across his 14-year career.
The 31-year-old was rewarded for a stellar 2021 season with an All Australian selection and has continued his fine form into 2022, averaging 23 disposals four games into the season.
Speaking to SEN WA Breakfast, Rich opened up about his time at Brisbane while the club occupied the lower rungs of the ladder.
โThere were definitely moments,โ Rich said on considering a switch home.
โEspecially through those darker days and those times where I personally wasnโt playing well, the team wasnโt playing well, we were copping it in the media and that was all fair.
โBut it definitely makes it more in the forefront of your mind, โgee, am I better off going home, blah, blah, blahโ.
โAt the end of the day Iโm really proud that I have stuck fat.
โWe are where we are as a footy club and itโs nice to be a small part of that.โ
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Rich signed a contract extension with the Lions earlier this year, taking the 31-year-old through to the end of 2023.
Having stuck with the club through more unpleasant days, Rich is now being rewarded with the allure of immediate success.
Sitting second on the ladder with a 3-1 record a month into the season, it seems the Lions will be looking to improve on the semi-final loss handed to them by the Bulldogs in 2021.
