For the past 14 years, Sydney Swans defender Ted Richards has spent countless summer days running laps around Lakeside Oval, lifting weight after weight and preparing his body for the rigours of the upcoming season.

But after all of those years and the number of training sessions he’s completed, the 32-year-old still doesn’t find pre-season training any easier.

TED RICHARDS ON 3AW SPORTS TODAY

“No it doesn’t but I’m fully aware of everything that’s involved so there are no surprises and I know that it’s going to be a grind and that it’s going to be tough so I’m never left disappointed,” Richards said on 3AW’s Sports Today program.

After watching the rise of Luke Parker last season, who claimed the Bob Skilton Medal at just 21 years of age, Richards believes there are a few of his teammates who are capable of taking their games to a new level as well in 2015.

"There are quite a few guys but someone I've noticed who's really pushing themselves and I think will have a big year is Tommy Mitchell," Richards said.

"I think Tommy was pretty frustrated with his year last year and a lot of it was due to injuries and not being able to get on the park as much as he wanted, but Tommy's a guy I think will be very important for us this year.

"We've all been able to see how good his best is and hopefully we can see more of him because, unfortunately, quite a few players have had to deal with injuries from time to time."

During his interview on 3AW, Richards also discussed a few lighter topics including a recent prank he and his teammates played on Jeremy Laidler.

After Laidler posted a photo of himself on social media using a selfie stick, ruckman Sam Naismith thought it would be a good idea to photoshop the image of his teammate at some of the world’s most iconic locations using the hashtag #aroundtheworldin80laids.

Before Laidler could put an end to the prank, it had quickly taken off on social media.

Below are some of the pictures used in the #aroundtheworldin80laids prank.