Richmond recruit Aaron Edwards. Picture: Stuart Walmsley Source: Herald Sun
IT WAS supposed to be a celebration. But for Aaron Edwards it ended in humiliation.
Edwards had been a Richmond player for little more than 12 hours in October when he was locked up in a police cell in the city for being drunk in a public place.
The former North Melbourne forward, having lost his driver's licence for refusing a breath test in January 2009, had been celebrating his move to Punt Rd with his Roos mates at Moonee Valley.
But a long and boozy Cox Plate day ended when he was detained on Collins St in the early hours of a Sunday morning.
Speaking for the first time since the incident, Edwards repeatedly admitted it was a "poor start" to life at his third AFL club.
When it came to notifying Richmond, the 28-year-old had the contact details of only one club official - list analyst Blair Hartley - and was yet to meet his teammates.
"I didn't know the protocols, I didn't know what to do. I'd only just got there and didn't have anyone's phone number," Edwards said.
"It wasn't an ideal start. I had walked through the doors at Richmond and had a meeting with 'Dimma' (coach Damien Hardwick) and that was the only time I'd been in the footy club.
"I had to walk in and meet all the hierarchy. I hadn't even talked to any of the players.
"But it got out in the open pretty quickly and that gave me a chance to cop my right whack and move on."
Edwards isn't the type to wallow in self pity or make grandiose vows about turning over a new leaf.
Nor will the man who has had his fair share of alcohol-related indiscretions swear off the grog completely.
But he is quick to acknowledge his wrongs and has worked tirelessly over summer.
"I haven't said a lot. It's a bit of a cliche, but I've tried to get the respect back on the footy field," Edwards said.
"Obviously I got whacked over the head at the start and I've since put my head down and a--- up and got to this stage of the pre-season unscathed.
"It's one of those things. Obviously you look back on it and in hindsight I should have gone home after the races, but it was a mistake.
"They (police) obviously thought I was drunk and drunk enough to put away. There was no altercation, I was just drunk."
Edwards will regain his licence in three months, ending four years of using public transport and taking early morning trains from Flemington.
"I'm an avid supporter of Myki. It has been my car keys for a while," he said.
"I catch the train in. It's not too bad. I travel pretty early, chuck the headphones in and cruise through."
Edwards admitted it still felt a little odd running around in yellow and black - the latest colour scheme in a career that started at West Coast, went backwards to VFL club Frankston before a resurgence at North Melbourne.
"I guess I've had a mixed bag, haven't I? I really enjoyed my time at North Melbourne and for no reason other than seeking more opportunities I left there," he said.
"I had a great exit meeting with North so there were no issues there. I didn't think I had that opportunity there.
"They had such a good second half of the year with the three-pronged attack (Drew Petrie, Robbie Tarrant and Lachie Hansen). That's football, I was pushed out of the way.
"Richmond offered me a spot and I was more than happy to take it.
"I'm not going to talk about finals or anything, but obviously we'd like to improve on last year and hopefully we can improve dramatically."
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