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Key Facts
Full name
Allan Edwards
Known as
Allan Edwards
Born
12 November 1957 (age 66)
Age at first & last AFL game
First game: 17y 200d
Last game: 26y 294d
Height and weight
Height: 188 cm
Weight: 90 kg
Senior clubs
Richmond; Collingwood; Footscray
Jumper numbers
Richmond: 36, 17
Collingwood: 8
Footscray: 30
Recruited from
Richmond (1979); Collingwood (1984)
Family links
Arthur Edwards (Father)Jake Edwards (Son)Frank Aked Jnr (Uncle)Shane O'Bree (Nephew)Frank Aked Snr (Grandfather)
Allan Edwards
| Club | League | Career span | Games | Goals | Avg | Win % | AKI | AHB | AMK | BV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Richmond | V/AFL | 1975-1979 | 66 | 84 | 1.27 | 52% | 11.32 | 3.54 | 3.85 | 18 |
| Collingwood | V/AFL | 1979-1980, 1982-1983 | 35 | 45 | 1.29 | 63% | 9.31 | 3.17 | 3.71 | 5 |
| Footscray | V/AFL | 1984 | 12 | 17 | 1.42 | 42% | 7.92 | 3.33 | 3.42 | 2 |
| V/AFL | 1975-1980, 1982-1984 | 113 | 146 | 1.29 | 54% | 10.33 | 3.40 | 3.76 | 25 | |
| Total | 1975-1980, 1982-1984 | 113 | 146 | 1.29 | 54% | 10.33 | 3.40 | 3.76 | 25 | |
AFL: 8,750th player to appear, 2,086th most games played, 671st most goals kickedRichmond: 771st player to appear, 247th most games played, 92nd most goals kickedCollingwood: 796th player to appear, 426th most games played, 178th most goals kickedFootscray: 746th player to appear, 621st most games played, 309th most goals kicked
The football world saw all too little of the best of Allan 'Butch' Edwards, after knee injuries robbed the son of Footscray's Arthur Edwards of leap, mobility and pace. Edwards burst onto the scene in mid-1975, debuting for Richmond in round nine and quickly establishing himself as a centre half forward of class. He kicked three goals in his fourth game, five majors in his 10th, and flew the flag for the Tigers in that season's Preliminary Final loss to eventual premiers North Melbourne, kicking four of his side's eight goals.
Edwards proved a force to be reckoned with over the next two seasons, and in 1978 looked set for even bigger things after kicking seven goals against Carlton in the Tigers' opening round thrashing of Carlton. But tragedy struck several weeks later. Having collected five goals against Essendon in round six, a seemingly innocuous tackle laid on him by teammate Ian Scrimshaw at training a few days later saw Edwards undergo a full knee reconstruction. He resumed early in 1979 but, having lost a yard of pace and seemingly his capacity for a high leap, he was unceremoniously cleared to Collingwood later that year.
At the Magpies, Edwards was serviceable if not spectacular but further injuries saw him place just eight games for the club from 1981 it 1983. He spent a final season at Footscray in 1984 but the injury curse struck again in the final game of the season, a serious ankle injury drawing the curtain on a career that could have delivered so much more than it ultimately did.
Edwards was part of an Australian football dynasty of sorts. As well as his father Arthur, his grandfather Frank Aked and uncle Frank Aked, Jr. also played for Footscray, while his son Jake Edwards played for Carlton and nephew Shane O'Bree played for Brisbane and Collingwood.
Author - Andrew Gigacz