He previously played professionally for Greater Western Sydney, Richmond, Essendon and the Gold Coast Suns in the Australian Football League (AFL).

As part of the program he would train with an AFL club over the summer and travel with the Academy group on an overseas trip to Europe.

[3] Townsend was recruited to the GWS Giants through zoning concessions and signed his first contract while still in high school in 2010, opting out of a potential nomination in for the AFL draft in the process.

[13] Townsend fell even further out of favour with Giants selectors in 2015, with a combination of form and a foot injury keeping him relegated to reserves football in the NEAFL for almost the entire season.

[6] It was at this time that Fox Footy commentator Dermott Brereton labelled Townsend possibly the toughest player in the league.

[22] The following week, in the final round of the home and away season, Townsend turned in another outstanding performance when he kicked five goals in Richmond's victory over St Kilda.

[28] Townsend's five goals across three finals was level with Norm Smith Medalist Dustin Martin as the equal best of any Richmond player that series.

[30][31][32] In addition to his AFL premiership, he also received the J. J. Liston Trophy as the VFL's best & fairest player in that league's home and away season.

[36][37] He played pre-season matches against Essendon and North Melbourne in February and March before reprising his premiership winning mid-sized-forward role in round 1 of the AFL season.

[38][39] Townsend kicked an equal team-high four goals in that win and attracted significant praise for his defensive role on Carlton interceptor Liam Jones.

[40] AFL Media's Kane Cornes noted Townsend as a notable omission from his own Round 1 Team of the Week on the back of that performance.

[43][6][44][45] While playing at the lower level Townsend received a one-match suspension for striking Box Hill midfielder and former Richmond teammate Andrew Moore in late June.

The fractured fibula sustained in the incident came with an expected recovery period of at least two months and saw Townsend's season effectively ended at both VFL and AFL levels.

[53][54] He was delisted by Richmond at the end of that period, but with the understanding that he would be re-selected in the upcoming rookie draft if he failed to find a contract with another AFL club.

[55] Townsend appeared close to deals with both Sydney and his former club the GWS Giants in the weeks that followed, undergoing medical exams at each.

[60][61][62][63] He returned to reserves-grade football in March, before edging close to AFL selection by being named as an emergency ahead of round 4's match against Port Adelaide.

[74][75] He kicked a goal in the Richmond VFL side that defeated Williamstown the following week, helping win the club's first reserves grade premiership since 1997.

[76][77][78] Townsend finished 2019 having played just one match at AFL level but was Richmond's equal-leading goalkicker in the reserves, with 21 goals across 18 games including that year's VFL premiership.

[80][81] In the month that followed, Townsend began seeking AFL opportunities elsewhere including a possible return to the Giants, before touring the training facilities of Essendon in late November.

The Suns offered Townsend a chance to train over the summer in an attempt to be re-drafted for the 2022 AFL season but he decided to turn down the opportunity and signed to play for Gold Coast-based VFL team Southport Sharks instead.