A special touch from the Tigers had Shane Edwards dreaming of flag successCourtney Walsh
Sports Reporter
The Australian
September 30, 2020Shane Edwards had never felt more special in his life than when a message arrived from his mates while he was sitting on his Melbourne couch a month ago.
The Tiger has won two premierships. He is an All Australian. He is revered within his club for the selfless roles he has performed for more than a decade and respected by rivals similarly.
Edwards stayed in Melbourne with his pregnant partner Samantha when Richmond headed off in early July to spend the rest of their premiership defence on the road.
Shortly before the Dreamtime game in Darwin against Essendon on August 22, his phone buzzed.
It was a photo of his teammates wearing the black warm-up jumpers — part of their recognition of the Black Lives Matter cause — they had worn the entirety of this season.
But there was a difference. Each jumper had No 10 on it. It turned out the Tigers were missing him as well.
“The boys all posed for a little picture together and sent it to me. I thought, ‘That’s weird. They are wearing No 10.’ But I didn’t understand why they were wearing it,” he told The Australian.
“And then they told me why and it made me feel really special. I don’t think I have ever felt that special before. It was unbelievable. They didn’t have to do that, but it just made me feel a part of it.
“They wanted to show how much they liked me and appreciated me as a teammate. I am 14 years into my career and it still blows me away. I am truly grateful for it. Even now, I think it is an unbelievable thing.”
Edwards, who has played more games for Richmond than any other Indigenous player to represent the club, said the gesture is indicative of the attention to detail that has helped Richmond become a formidable side over the past four seasons.
“Just with the situation we are in, you can feel like you are not really a part of it for a while. There is only so much talking on the phone and watching that you can do,” he said.
“But just to know how much they were thinking of me, especially at that time, was unbelievable. That is what we have got at Richmond. It is unbelievable. But it is not unbelievable for us to do (those things). That is why we are the club we are.”
Edwards is now a proud father to daughter Mya and rejoined the Tigers just over a fortnight ago on the Gold Coast after spending two weeks in the AFL’s transition hub.
Fatherhood, he said, was everything he had anticipated and more.
“It is just surreal. You can do all the research you want but nothing really prepares you for having a daughter,” he said.
“You know something massive is on the way and when we first met her it was just surreal. It hasn’t really worn off. It truly is life-changing.”
The sample size is small _ one match _ but Edwards said he felt completely at ease when resuming in the round 18 clash against the Crows given his broader perspective on life.
The 31-year-old produced a strong performance, which is scarcely surprising given the shape he appeared in while training alongside Gary Ablett Jnr and Daniel Hannebery during the transition hub.
Former Bomber and Tiger Sam Lonergan helped Edwards remain in shape during the time he was away from his teammates and ensured he was ready to fire when free to play.
Edwards, who was runner-up to Dion Prestia in Richmond’s best-and-fairest last year, rated the intensity of those sessions above what he would experience in games.
He feels fitter than ever as he prepares for the 262nd match of his career. This will occur in Friday night’s preliminary final against Brisbane at the Gabba.
Edwards also wonders whether the mid-season spell might prove a silver lining and be something that helps elongate his career in coming years.
“I definitely don’t feel my age. I am turning 32 in October, but I feel like I am stronger and faster and more hungry than I have ever been,” he said.
“It is a bit annoying that I have to say how old I am, because I actually feel like I am in my mid-20s at the moment.
“I don’t know how this year is going to affect me physically, because missing a chunk of games while being fit is something that (not) many blokes would have done in the AFL, so whether it prolongs my career a little bit, who knows.
“But I am really not thinking too far ahead at the moment. I am just making sure my body is right.”
https://www.theaustralian.com.au/sport/afl/a-special-touch-from-the-tigers-had-shane-edwards-dreaming-of-flag-success/news-story/9cfb1e7cb6605784a3d77fb08469f525
