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Edwards kicks on from Coalfield of dreams
BY BRETT KEEBLE
24 Jun, 2010 12:00 AM
JOEL Edwards was just nine when the Knights beat Manly in the ARL grand final on that unforgettable last Sunday in September 1997.
A red-headed, freckle-faced kid from Cessnock, who grew up idolising fellow Goannas junior Andrew Johns, Edwards stood among thousands, cheering and applauding as the players passed by on their victory parade two days later.
"Up the Goeys!" the cheeky youngster taunted from behind a barricade.
"Up the Bulldogs!" Knights centre Mark Hughes, the kid from Kurri Kurri, blurted back.
That moment was one of many memories that flashed through Edwards's mind when Hughes presented him with his first NRL jersey shortly before kick-off in the game against Parramatta at EnergyAustralia Stadium on Monday night.
The 218th man to represent the Knights in first grade, the 21-year-old front-rower came off the bench wearing No.18 and spent 24 minutes in the middle. He ran four times for 25 metres, made 16 tackles with no misses, and after the siren sounded on a dour 6-4 win against the Eels, no one sang the victory song louder than him.
"It was the night of my life; just the best feeling," Edwards said.
"I just felt so privileged and proud and over the moon to finally reach my lifelong dream.
"For Hughesy to present me with my first jersey, that was a great feeling and something I'll treasure forever. It was pretty special and I treasured everything he said."
Hughes said Edwards had been rewarded for his perseverance and patience.
"I've known him since he was a little red-headed fella who was always keen on his footy, so it was great to see him finally get a start," Hughes said.
"He's a good, tough, Coalfields boy who's probably not the biggest or the quickest bloke around but he's got plenty of toughness about him, he's very honest, and they're the sort of things that being a Knights player are all about."
Edwards joined the Knights in 2006 as a member of their SG Ball (under-18) squad and progressed to Jersey Flegg (under 20s) the following season. The under-20 competition was upgraded in 2008 and Edwards represented the Knights in that inaugural National Youth Cup.
He trained with the club's full-time squad last year but played for his home-town Goannas in the Newcastle Rugby League. Edwards spent the first half of this season operating under the same training schedule but playing NSW Cup for Central Coast Centurions on weekends.
Knights coach Rick Stone promoted him to 18th man duties for the game against Wests Tigers at EAS last month and Edwards knew he was getting closer to realising a dream.
"Being that one step away, I just had to bide my time and be patient," said Edwards, who is off contract at the end of this season but hopes to earn a deal with the Knights.
"I've just got to be consistent and show I can play week in, week out. If I'm good enough, I'll get another contract."
Edwards said he often sought advice from teammates and fellow Hunter juniors Steve Simpson (Singleton) and Mark Taufua (Woodberry).
"Mark Taufua is the sort of bloke everyone in the team aspires to be like and wants to play beside, so blokes like him and Simmo have really helped me along and mentored me," he said.
Taufua said Edwards was destined for bigger things.
"He's got a good training ethic and he's not shy to come and ask me stuff, and I'm happy to help him out wherever I can," Taufua said.
"I was given an opportunity here so it's good for me to give something back if I can. With the young guys coming through, I just want to do what I can to help them too.
"I was watching the replay of the game from the other night and I saw a sign in the crowd that said 'Go Goanna Boy - Joel 'Eddie' Edwards', so it was good for him to have some fans there."
Stone described Edwards as a hard worker and good listener.
Edwards is often seen at training wearing the pink kit handed out each week to the player guilty of an embarrassing incident, but he rolls with the punches and can laugh at himself.
"It's like being the apprentice in a workshop. You've got to take the good with the bad," he said.
Stone explained: "Yeah, he sticks his chin out there often enough and he gets it cracked every now and then, but he handles it OK and takes it in the right way.
"He's an intelligent kid who really takes things in, particularly from his peers, and he learns lessons quickly. He's got a few things to sort out still but he's a really coachable young player.
"He's a no-nonsense kind of player, does his job effectively, and from most people he probably doesn't get a lot of recognition, but the coaches know he's doing the right type of things."
At a time in the Knights history when they have been criticised for importing players before promoting from within, Edwards hoped he could illuminate the pathway to the NRL for other home-grown juniors, just as Johns and Hughes showed him the way.
"Hopefully I can inspire young kids to do the same sort of thing," he said. "There will be people along the way that say you can't do it, but if they can have that belief inside themselves and keep at it and keep working hard, then they can do it too."
http://www.theherald.com.au/news/lo...icks-on-from-coalfield-of-dreams/1866890.aspx
