In a remarkable family achievement, 1954 Premiership player, Arthur Edwards, represents the second of four generations of the same family to have played at least 100 VFL/AFL games.
Arthur's father-in-law, ‘Dolly’ Aked played 108 games for the Bulldogs. Arthur’s son, Allan Edwards, played a total of 113 games at three clubs (Richmond, Collingwood and Footscray).
In the current generation, Arthur’s grandson, Shane O’Bree, bought up 100 games for Collingwood in the 2003 season and continues to carve out a successful AFL career.
A prodigious talent at a young age, Arthur Edwards was recruited from Sunshine Tech to Footscray’s junior ranks by his uncle, Dick Rawson, who coached the Footscray Fifths.
He became the first player at Footscray to go through its newly formed junior ranks and emerge as a senior player when he made his debut at just 17 years and three months against South Melbourne in Round 18, 1951.
He kicked two goals in that game and held his spot the following week, when the Bulldogs lost to Essendon in the first Semi-final.
A versatile player with good strength and size, Edwards showed greatly improved form during Footscray's Premiership year.
He played in what is now known as the ruck-roving role and would often rest in defence where his dependable marking helped repel many an opposition attack.
Edwards remembers that John Kerr and Dave Bryden played great games on Grand Final day, and captain-coach, Charlie Sutton, led by example. Edwards estimates 90% of the crowd was supporting Footscray and recalls the crowd sitting inside the fence and around the MCG boundary line.
‘Being a Footscray player, you were lucky because, if you crashed over the boundary and into the crowd, they threw you back and I think the Melbourne players might have got thrown the other way,’ he laughs in an interview to be shown at the 1954 Celebration Gala Dinner at Crown Palladium on April 8.
Edwards describes the mood of the team as one of determination in the rooms at halftime: ‘It wasn’t so much excitement as determination.
You could see the boys were on a job and they were going to finish that job.’ He sums up the 1954 Premiership team’s victory beautifully when he declares, ‘Every player was mates…there’s a saying in football that “a champion team will always beat a team of champions” and we were all mates and a champion team in my book.’
Growing up with Footscray in his veins, Edwards was elated to be part of the Premiership victory, particularly considering it was due reward for the Bulldog supporters, whom he describes as, ‘The greatest lot of supporters of all times.’
Edwards hopes the club can realise a Premiership, sooner rather than later, because, ‘We've been the most feted Premiership side there ever was.’ (Only St Kilda's much lauded Premiership team of 1966 comes close.)
