BEFORE Sydney defender Will Edwards was running out onto the field as a professional footballer, he held the ultimate conversation starter of a day job: working as a funeral director.

The Sydney Academy product was recruited as a Category B rookie at the end of 2022. At the time, he was balancing his football dreams with a part-time role at the Walker Funeral Group – a job he took after finishing high school to earn some extra money.

When asked about his unconventional pre-football career, Edwards reflected on how the experience unexpectedly prepared him for the pressures of the AFL.

"That job requires a lot of respect and a lot of emotional awareness. It's not the easiest thing," he said on Tuesday.

"It was probably a bit of an eye-opening job, not super easy. I guess it set me up with a bit of emotional awareness for footy."

Edwards admitted he mentioned his past life during development meetings a couple of years ago, noting that while club legend Brett Kirk was genuinely intrigued, he is now happy to keep it quiet.

"I think I'll keep that one a bit under wraps," he said, adding, "I think they get a bit freaked out by it."

Edwards was drafted as an over-ager after missing out in his initial draft year. It was during this period that he balanced part-time work as a funeral director, bartender, and basketball coach – all while juggling university studies and his breakthrough season for the Allies and the North Shore Bombers in the AFL Sydney Premier League.

He spent the 2023 season honing his craft as a key defender for Sydney’s VFL side, building a base of resilience and adapting to the speed of professional footy before misfortune struck.

During a VFL clash against Box Hill in 2024, Hawthorn’s Sam Butler suffered a horrific broken leg in a shin-to-shin collision with Edwards.

While initial attention was on Butler, the impact also pierced Edwards' skin. A week later, his own leg became severely infected, forcing him into hospital and onto an IV drip.

Later that same season, Edwards suffered a broken fibula. 

Following surgery to insert a plate, the wound became infected, hospitalising him for two weeks with an open wound and requiring an IV PICC line in his arm for nearly five weeks to clear it.

The next year, just as he aimed to recover from the broken leg and infections, he suffered a severe stress fracture in the same spot on his fibula, wiping out another 16 weeks of training and play.

Yet, exactly 1,241 days after he was first added to the Swans' list – and after playing 43 VFL games across five seasons – Edwards finally made his senior debut for the Swans in round seven against the Western Bulldogs. He has not missed a game since.

"It's been a bit of a journey … but it's pretty special to be in the side now," Edwards said.

Getting back to the senior level required immense resilience, as Edwards had to overcome both the physical and mental hurdles of a long-term injury layoff.

"That's probably the thing that doesn't get talked about as much," he said of the mental toll.

"I hadn't played much at all, really, last year. Mentally, you've just got to keep yourself motivated. 

"There were times, like sitting in hospital, where you sort of go, 'Am I going to play again?' but I don't think there was ever a time where I thought I was going to leave this behind. You've just got to stay positive."

To maintain that positivity, Edwards relied heavily on the culture and network around him.

The 23-year-old credited the Swans' medical room, development staff, senior coach Dean Cox, and Paddy and Tom McCartin for providing the support and guidance he needed to navigate his recovery.

"Coming into a club like this, there are so many support people around you," he said. 

"The reality is, unfortunately, a lot of people go through situations where you miss a lot of time out of the game. So, there are a lot of people to lean on and chat with."