Son of a gun aims to win title with Sharks
THE son of an Adelaide Crows legend has his sights set on VFL glory as he signs with the Southport Sharks as part of his quest to return to the AFL.
Jackson Edwards, whose father Tyson played 321 games for Adelaide, has only just signed with the 2023 VFL runners-up but is already aiming to secure the club’s first premiership.
Edwards, 23, was selected by the Crows in 2018 as a father-son draft but was dropped after one year and has since played for West Adelaide in the SANFL for the past two years.
“It’ll be exciting playing footy with Southport, hopefully we can play some finals footy and go one step further than they did last season,” Edwards said.
“This is the best club for me to continue my football journey with and I hope I can help contribute in helping the club to go one step further and win the VFL.
“There are some great players and coaches here and I am looking forward to getting to know them.
“I know Boyd (Woodcock) from South Australia, I don’t think I got to play against him but it will be pretty exciting to play with another South Aussie.”
Southport coach Steve Daniel said the club was excited to add someone with a lot of experience at state league level. “We think Jackson will be a great addition to our side, and we look forward to seeing what he can bring,” Daniel said.
Edwards also comes with experience at Glenelg and comes to the VFL having played 48 SANFL senior games.
The mid-forward said he was in search of a “new opportunity” when he made the move.
“Obviously the lifestyle (was a factor), it’s the best spot for me to develop my footy with some really good coaches and some really good players around me as well to take myself to another level.
“I felt like I needed a change up … I didn’t play any games with Werribee (in the VFL) so I wanted to make the move and see what the VFL is like and hopefully continue to push my passion and goals to play AFL footy.
“It’s a childhood dream of mine (to play AFL footy) and I want to continue to push that dream.”