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Richmond’s two newest AFL debutants probably couldn’t come from more diverse football backgrounds.
Jake King, a 23-year-old, 174cm, 74kg defender, and Shane Edwards, an 18-year-old 180cm, 71kg midfielder, will play their first games for the Tigers in tomorrow night’s big Round 4 clash with the Western Bulldogs at the MCG.
King served his football apprenticeship with North Heidelberg in the Diamond Valley, before joining Richmond’s VFL affiliate, the Coburg Tigers, in 2006.
After an impressive first-up season with Coburg, where he was the equal winner of the club’s best and fairest award, King was chosen by Richmond in the end-of-year rookie draft.
Then, on the eve of the 2007 season, King was elevated to the senior playing list at Tigerland when newcomer Carl Peterson was placed on the long-term injury list while recovering from ostietis pubis.
Edwards, on the other hand, came up through the football ranks in South Australia, graduating to senior company with the North Adelaide club in the SANFL last year.
He managed 10 senior appearances with the SA Roosters in 2006 and was then taken by Richmond with its second selection (pick No. 26 overall) in last year’s National Draft.
Richmond coach Terry Wallace has no doubts that both now deserve their opportunity at the game’s highest level . . .
“Jake has really had to do it the hard way, playing park footy, as such, about 18 months ago and then arriving at Coburg without any knowledge of whether he was going to make the grade at VFL level, let alone anything else,” he said.
“The other interesting part of his story is that while he was playing at Coburg last year, he was also working as a labourer on building sites all day before going to training late afternoons.
“They reckon a lot of times at Coburg, they’d come in and find him asleep on the benches in the rooms and they’d have to wake him up to get him out to train.
“It’s a fantastic story that he’s now been able to make the grade in AFL football.
“Kingy is very much your hard-nosed, ‘take-them-on-from-their-toes’ type player. He mostly plays down the back end, but can also play on a wing or up forward because of his competitive nature.
“If he reminds me of anyone in the competition at the moment, it’s Steven Baker at St Kilda . . . just that real one-on-one approach to his football – keep your eyes on the footy and go after it.
“Shane Edwards, by comparison, has come through the purest football program, playing under-age and then senior footy over in South Australia.
“He’s probably the youngest-looking kid I’ve ever played as a coach . . . I’ve got a 15-year-old son and I can’t tell the difference between them in terms of their ages. He could probably ride in the last at Flemington, but he’ll obviously develop body-wise as time goes on.
“Look, Shane has earned the right to play . . . he has been our most in-form player at VFL level. He’s shown that even though he’s lightly framed, he’s prepared to throw his body on the line with regards to tackling, harassing and doing all those sort of things.
“Shane is your archetypal running, modern-day midfielder. He has a big ‘motor’, can run all day, links up between the lines very well, and he’s got good skills.”
i cant wait i got it of http://richmondfc.com.au/Season2007/News/NewsArticle/tabid/6301/Default.aspx?newsId=41515
Jake King, a 23-year-old, 174cm, 74kg defender, and Shane Edwards, an 18-year-old 180cm, 71kg midfielder, will play their first games for the Tigers in tomorrow night’s big Round 4 clash with the Western Bulldogs at the MCG.
King served his football apprenticeship with North Heidelberg in the Diamond Valley, before joining Richmond’s VFL affiliate, the Coburg Tigers, in 2006.
After an impressive first-up season with Coburg, where he was the equal winner of the club’s best and fairest award, King was chosen by Richmond in the end-of-year rookie draft.
Then, on the eve of the 2007 season, King was elevated to the senior playing list at Tigerland when newcomer Carl Peterson was placed on the long-term injury list while recovering from ostietis pubis.
Edwards, on the other hand, came up through the football ranks in South Australia, graduating to senior company with the North Adelaide club in the SANFL last year.
He managed 10 senior appearances with the SA Roosters in 2006 and was then taken by Richmond with its second selection (pick No. 26 overall) in last year’s National Draft.
Richmond coach Terry Wallace has no doubts that both now deserve their opportunity at the game’s highest level . . .
“Jake has really had to do it the hard way, playing park footy, as such, about 18 months ago and then arriving at Coburg without any knowledge of whether he was going to make the grade at VFL level, let alone anything else,” he said.
“The other interesting part of his story is that while he was playing at Coburg last year, he was also working as a labourer on building sites all day before going to training late afternoons.
“They reckon a lot of times at Coburg, they’d come in and find him asleep on the benches in the rooms and they’d have to wake him up to get him out to train.
“It’s a fantastic story that he’s now been able to make the grade in AFL football.
“Kingy is very much your hard-nosed, ‘take-them-on-from-their-toes’ type player. He mostly plays down the back end, but can also play on a wing or up forward because of his competitive nature.
“If he reminds me of anyone in the competition at the moment, it’s Steven Baker at St Kilda . . . just that real one-on-one approach to his football – keep your eyes on the footy and go after it.
“Shane Edwards, by comparison, has come through the purest football program, playing under-age and then senior footy over in South Australia.
“He’s probably the youngest-looking kid I’ve ever played as a coach . . . I’ve got a 15-year-old son and I can’t tell the difference between them in terms of their ages. He could probably ride in the last at Flemington, but he’ll obviously develop body-wise as time goes on.
“Look, Shane has earned the right to play . . . he has been our most in-form player at VFL level. He’s shown that even though he’s lightly framed, he’s prepared to throw his body on the line with regards to tackling, harassing and doing all those sort of things.
“Shane is your archetypal running, modern-day midfielder. He has a big ‘motor’, can run all day, links up between the lines very well, and he’s got good skills.”
i cant wait i got it of http://richmondfc.com.au/Season2007/News/NewsArticle/tabid/6301/Default.aspx?newsId=41515
