He initially moved to Armidale in 2011, believing he would only be in town for 12 months or so.

But now, with a job as a traffic controller, a partner, and three daughters, he can't imagine spending his life anywhere else.

In a sign of the permanence of his presence over the last decade, Richards notched up his 500^th goal for the New England Nomads on Saturday.

But the veteran, who notched up his 150th match with the club last year, was not focused on his milestone leading into the game.

"That's the thing about me, I don't try to make it about myself," Richards said.

"All I want is to play finals football with my team. That's all I aim for. I'd prefer team celebrations to individual things."

This was not always the case. As a young man, he "liked the individual awards", but over the last decade, he has learned that they are not what matters most on the field.

"That's what I thought it was about, but as you get older you start to learn," Richards said.

"It's more than yourself, winning with your teammates is a good feeling."

Richards was able to share in that winning feeling with the Nomads on Saturday, as they compiled a sparkling 15.19-109 to 13.9-87 win against the Tamworth Kangaroos at No. 1 Oval.

It was the team's fourth consecutive win, in a run which has included defeats of the top three sides in this year's competition: the Kangaroos, the Tamworth Swans, and the Inverell Saints.

"We've beaten the three top teams, which is really good," Richards said.

"It lets us know that we can match the top teams and beat them if we're really committed."

New England coach, Clarrie Barker, shared his teammate's sentiments after the game, and said the side was poised for a strong run in the back half of the competition.

"We have ups and downs all season with uni holidays and stuff like that. We do lose a few players, but they come back," Barker said.

"I think off the back of a few really good wins, and playing a few games away, it'll really build us for the last few rounds.

"This was a game we pencilled in. We hosted these guys a few weeks ago and it was a tight game. We wanted to come down here and really make a mark to let the competition know that we're one of the top two teams."

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