At the time of his drafting, Henderson had played only three games of Australian rules football in the previous four years, having played basketball locally in Ballarat.[3] Before being drafted by Adelaide, Henderson supported Geelong.[citation needed]
AFL career
Henderson made his debut for Adelaide in round 5, 2010 against the Western Bulldogs, injuring his hamstring in that game, but was recalled to the side in round 12.[4] He went on to play out the season, kicking 13 goals in 12 games playing as a forward. At the end of the season he was promoted to the senior list.[5] Henderson played 18 games in 2011 despite battling a hip injury late in the season. He played mainly on the wing, impressing with his pace, goalkicking and ability to create turnovers, and gathering 28 disposals against the Western Bulldogs in round 13.[6]
In 2012 Henderson played 12 matches despite missing a period of the season with an ankle injury. He played mainly on the wing and in the backline,[6] but kicked six goals in a win over Port Adelaide in round 15, playing forward in the absence of Taylor Walker, Kurt Tippett and Shaun McKernan.[7] He played 14 games in 2013, establishing himself in the Crows' side, particularly in defence, before a knee injury ended his season.[6]
Henderson broke his leg in a training session in February 2014, ruling him out for most of the 2014 season.[8] He returned in round 16 against Greater Western Sydney and played the last eight matches of the season, averaging 17 disposals.[6] He also signed a two-year contract extension that would have kept him at the club until the end of 2017.[9] Henderson played 17 games in 2015 and averaged a career-best 19 possessions, including being a key contributor to Adelaide's elimination final win with 29 possessions.[6] At the conclusion of the 2016 season, he was delisted by Adelaide.[10] He subsequently joined Hawthorn as a delisted free agent.[11]
It took to the midpoint of the 2017 Home and Away season, that Henderson cemented his place in the team. His speed and long kicking has been invaluable as has his versatility that has deployed him at various times across half-back, through the midfield and up forward. In several games Henderson has shown an ability to outrun his defender and get open goals at close range. Ricky's stats have also put him firmly among Hawthorn's top ten performers so far this season. Many of Henderson's stats place him in the top five on the team and he leads the club for average marks per game and is tied for third on the club for average disposals per game.
Personal life
Henderson is married to Jenny and has two children, daughter Rylee and son Billy.[12]
^The 2020 season was played with 17 home-and-away matches per team (down from 22) and 16-minute quarters with time on (down from 20-minute quarters with time on) due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
