Hawkins said it was a proud moment for the club and should be a special celebration for the code after “all the wonderful things he[Selwood] has done”.
“In my eyes,maybe I’m a bit biased,but I think he’s one of the greatest,if not the greatest,Cats player to ever play.”
“I was really excited about playing a year or two with him - I didn’t think it’d eventuate into 300 games together as teammates.”
Tom Hawkins on Joel Selwood
If Geelong prevail over the Western Bulldogs on Saturday evening,there’ll be even more to celebrate for the team and the Selwood family as the skipper will pass Dick Reynolds’ VFL/AFL record of 159 wins as captain.
Then,when Richmond take on Brisbane on Sunday at the MCG,three-time premiership player and All-Australian Edwards will become the 98th player to reach 300 VFL/AFL games and become the first Indigenous player at Richmond to reach to the milestone.
Shane Edwards.Credit:AFL Photos
The midfielder also becomes just the eighth Indigenous player in VFL/AFL history to reach 300 games,joining footy icons Gavin Wanganeen,Michael O’Loughlin,Andrew McLeod,Adam Goodes,Shaun Burgoyne,Eddie Bettsand Lance Franklin in the exclusive club.
Edwards is the fifth Tiger to 300 games - joining Kevin Bartlett (403 games),Jack Riewoldt (321),Jack Dyer (311),and Francis Bourke (300).
“It doesn’t really sound right or sit well with me at the moment,they’re just legends of the game and people I’ve looked up to for so long,” said Edwards on Tuesday of the Richmond icons who came before him.
“It’s probably one of those things where I’ll look back,and I’ll see it written on a list and smile,and yeah,honestly I’m lost for words when I see the names around the 300 number.”
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Edwards says his journey to the milestone has “obviously been a long one”.
“It’s a bit surreal at the moment,[I’m] taking every week as it comes,as the cliche is. I probably haven’t given it as much thought as I should have,but I’ll look back and be pretty blown away by the number.
“I suppose playing for a long time,you meet a lot of people,coming in and out of the doors,and there’s been just so many good people I’ve been around from the start ’til now. So,[there are] some lifelong friendships,a lot of people I’ve learnt from,and a lot of people who’ve backed me in over the journey.”
Edwards was drafted to Richmond in 2006 as the club’s second pick and played his first game in round 5 against the Western Bulldogs,where he played on then-captain Brad Johnson. “[He] took me straight to the goal square,obviously smelling some weakness,” laughed Edwards,who affectionately added,“It was the biggest day of my life up until that point… you never forget your first game.”
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