RICHMOND midfielder Shane Edwards modelled his game on three-time premiership half-back Shaun Burgoyne, but in the process he has become one of the Tigers' most important centre square players.
Edwards, who is in his ninth season at Punt Road, leads the Tigers for centre clearances this season and has lifted his clearance average from 3.26 in 2014 to 5.0 this season.
The 26-year-old will be a key player in Saturday night's Dreamtime at the 'G clash against Essendon, but not in the role he set out to master.
"Coming from Adelaide I always looked up to Shaun Burgoyne," Edwards said on Tuesday.
"He was one of the best players in the competition and still is now, so I tried to model my game on him.
"It's pretty hard though because he's so bloody good."
Edwards spent a large chunk of his career as a small forward and took on a coaching role pre-season, leading drills with the club’s young forwards.
Despite his increased centre square role, he has still managed to average one goal a game this season.
Saturday night's Dreamtime clash will be a special one for Edwards, whose cousin designed the jumper that Richmond will wear.
It also presents a chance for the Tigers to cement their strong form for the past fortnight at a packed MCG, with the Victorian powerhouses averaging crowds of 64,203 in the past 10 years when they meet.
"It would be huge to win it. We haven't won it for a while now and Essendon are always a quality side," he said.
"It's a good test to see where we are in terms of the competition and to keep up our own form.
"It's been 11 years since the first Dreamtime game between these two clubs and it's just a great honour to run out and I'm grateful for the opportunity.
"We want to continue the form we've got and we're not looking any further than the first quarter."
