Shane Edwards is Richmond’s third Homecoming Hero of the 2024 season.

The Tigers will pay tribute to Edwards in the lead-up to Saturday night’s annual Dreamtime at the ‘G’ blockbuster against Essendon.

Edwards will walk to the Punt Road end where he’ll be warmly welcomed by the Tiger Army.

He’ll then kick a ceremonial goal, while highlights of his playing career will be shown on the MCG’s screens.

Richmond recruited Edwards with its second pick (No. 26 overall) in the 2006 AFL national draft.

The lightly-framed but highly-talented teenager from SANFL club North Adelaide made his senior debut with the Tigers in Round 4 of the 2007 season against Western Bulldogs at the MCG.

He played 16 games all-up that season but didn’t get to celebrate a Tiger win in his first 12 senior appearances.

Finally, in Round 19 against arch-rival Collingwood at the MCG, Edwards was able to sing the famous Richmond theme song for the first time following the team’s upset victory.

Edwards showed glimpses of his considerable ability throughout his first three seasons at Punt Road, playing predominantly as a forward. But when Damien Hardwick took over as coach in 2010, Edwards took his game to another level.

Hardwick invested heavily in Edwards’ development and the then 21-year-old repaid the coach’s faith.

He had a breakout AFL season, showcasing his impressive skills-set throughout the home-and-away rounds and finishing sixth in the Jack Dyer Medal.

Edwards would go on to become one of Richmond’s most pivotal players in the golden Hardwick era.

On Grand Final day 2017, with the Tigers striving to break a 37-year premiership drought, Edwards was superb in his midfield-playmaker role.

He had 25 disposals, 13 contested possessions, two goal assists, a game-high eight inside-50s, equal game-high seven clearances, three intercepts, a game-high 10 score involvements and 374 metres gained in Richmond’s glorious Grand Final triumph over Adelaide and received two Norm Smith Medal votes.

Edwards enjoyed the best season of his distinguished AFL career two years later, when the Tigers again captured the flag.

That season, he averaged 21.9 disposals, 9.8 contested possessions, 3.3 marks, 3.1 tackles, 3.6 clearances, 4.8 score involvements, 5.4 intercepts and 320.5 metres gained per match.

In the 2019 Grand Final demolition of Greater Western Sydney, Edwards was prominent with 21 disposals, 11 contested possessions, five inside-50s, a game-high six clearances, three rebound-50s, six score involvements, four intercepts, an equal team-high six tackles and 268 metres gained.

Second placing in the 2019 Jack Dyer Medal was just reward for the impact Edwards had in Richmond’s line-up over the course of that season.

The following year was a strange one for Edwards and the entire AFL football world due to the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic.

When the Tigers were forced to relocate to the Gold Coast as part of the AFL’s plan to complete a modified fixture, Edwards opted to stay in Melbourne with his pregnant partner, Samantha.

After the birth of the couple’s first child, daughter Mya, Edwards completed a quarantine period in Queensland and rejoined Richmond’s group.

Edwards returned to playing action in the Tigers’ final home-and-away round match that season against Adelaide and exerted his customary influence, with the team securing a top-four berth following a convincing win.

He subsequently played a key role for Richmond throughout its finals campaign, culminating in an excellent exhibition in the 2020 Grand Final against Geelong at Brisbane’s Gabba Stadium.

With a game-high 27 disposals, eight contested possessions, game-high nine clearances, four inside-50s, four score involvements and 389 metres gained, Edwards was adjudged third best player afield, polling four Norm Smith Medal votes, while the Tigers made it back-to-back premierships and three flags in four years.

Two years later, the man affectionately known as Shedda became the first Indigenous player in Richmond’s history to reach the coveted 300-game milestone. 

The Tigers’ narrow loss to Brisbane in the 2022 elimination final at the Gabba was to be Edwards’ last game of AFL football.

Edwards earned a deserved reputation throughout his time at Tigerland as one of the most creative playmakers in the Club’s history.

He made those around him in the Tigers’ line-up better through his super-slick disposal, especially by hand.

Quick of hand, quick of foot and quick of mind, Edwards always seemed to be one step ahead of the play.

As his long-time coach Damien Hardwick said in the lead-up to Edwards’ 300^th game: “The measure of a great player is how good he makes those around him, and Shane’s first class in that facet of the game. We often show our players the things that he does that are unseen. I only see them, basically, when I watch the tape.”

Richmond is proud to have welcomed back Motorola as partner of our Homecoming Heroes. Motorola is the official smartphone partner of the Richmond Football Club.

Shane Edwards profile

Born: October 25, 1988

Height: 182cm

Playing weight: 80kg

Recruited to Richmond from: North Adelaide (SANFL)

Guernsey number at Richmond: No. 10

Debut at Richmond: Round 4, 2007 v Western Bulldogs, MCG

Games at Richmond (2007-22): 303

Goals at Richmond: 189

Honours at Richmond: Triple premiership player (2017, 2019, 2020), All-Australian team member (2018), runner-up in the Club’s Best and Fairest (2019), fourth in the Best and Fairest (2014, 2018)

Richmond's Homecoming Heroes since 2014...