Leading Swans goalkicker sees success on horizon

Taylah Edwards has played deeper forward than ever before this WAFL Women’s season with Swan Districts and is reaping the rewards but it’s team success that she’s focused on, and is confident what Swans can do in 2025.

Swans are currently sitting in third position on the WAFL Women’s ladder by the end of Round 10 with a 6-3 record and Edwards has been at the forefront of everything the black-and-whites have been doing.

Edwards has always been an impressive goalkicker with Swans having kicked 52 goals over her 58 games coming into the 2025 season.

This year she has kicked 14 so far in nine matches to be equal on the league’s goalkicking tally coming into Round 11 where Swan Districts have the chance to hit back from losses to top teams Subiaco and Claremont against the fourth placed West Perth.

Swans can enhance their prospects of a top two finish on Saturday night against the Falcons and Edwards is confident that having been part of a team that’s played finals in all her WAFL Women’s seasons including a grand final in 2021, that this year could be the one they breakthrough.

“I think in my first year in league we went through undefeated and then obviously lost that grand final to Peel, which was heartbreaking,” Edwards said.

“We’ve had good teams since then and then this year we know we are probably going to lose Carys to the draft later this year, so we want to capitalise while we have her and such a strong midfield.

“We do believe that with our full team and in full fitness, and health, that we can go all the way and that we can put it to Subiaco and Claremont. We know that we have that in us and we have just got to do it now next time we play them, and in finals.”

Prior to the last two games against the undefeated two teams, Swan Districts were the hottest team in the competition having been on a five-game winning streak.

Even though the last two weeks has seen them lose against Subiaco and Claremont who are in the top two spots and with both yet to lose a game in 2025, Edwards feels Swans can take plenty from those games to be confident against them later in the season.

“Every time we do a review it’s easy for us to acknowledge where the downfall was and then it’s easy to take that on board going into the next time we play them so we do take a lot out of these last two games,” Edwards said.

“Especially when we played Subiaco, they seem to be the benchmark this year so we took a lot out of that and then last week against Claremont was obviously hard with a lot of outs that we had with Carys, Jaymie and Bakes all missing.

“But knowing the next time we play them we’ll have those girls back in is definitely something to look forward to.”

Edwards is now in her fifth season playing at WAFL Women’s level with Swan Districts and it’s been a bit of a change for her where she’s spent more time playing deep in the forward 50 rather than as a hard running half-forward.

She’s kicked 14 goals as a result and has been quite happy with what she’s been able to produce.

“I think that my season this year has been quite consistent,” Edwards said.

“There’s only a couple of games where I haven’t kicked a goal and it’s just different this year and we wanted to really grow that connection between our forwards and the midfielders a bit better.

“I think you can see that it’s happening this year which is nice because Em McGuire is up there with me as well and she obviously provides a great target, and we’re working well off each other.”

The key forward pairing of Edwards with Emily McGuire is working well for Swan Districts this year with the pair kicking 26 goals between.

Edwards has played most of her career alongside McGuire now and likes the duo they are offering for the Swans’ midfielders to get the ball down to.

“Me and Em have played together for a number of years now and it’s good to have her back for a second season now,” she said.

“We read off each other very well and then you’ve got young guns like Sienna Gerardi and Summer Ajduk coming in who are fun and exciting to watch, which is really nice.

“We like to put them up top and do all the running and it’s nice for me and Em to sit a bit deeper for a bit and wait for them to get the ball to us.”

While Edwards has spent pretty much her entire WAFL Women’s career now as a forward in one form or another, it wasn’t where she had started playing in her teenage days.

However, now that she’s settled as a forward she couldn’t imagine playing anywhere else.

“I was actually a midfielder back when I started at Swans when I was playing reserves and that was nine years ago,” Edwards said.

“I was a midfielder but then in my first year in league, (Adam) Dancey just put me forward and that’s kinda where I’ve stayed and I’ve got no complaints obviously. I feel comfortable playing deeper now too and I think this year has shown that.

“I’ve come into my own a bit more and I’ve always played that high half-forward type role, but now coming back to play full-forward is actually quite nice. You can see the game in front of you a lot more and just learn how to lead and read the play, so it’s been good.”

Another driving force for Edwards and her Swans teammates in 2025 is to try and be as successful as possible with a future AFLW star like Carys D’Addario in the midfield.

Having already seen Lily Paterson now in the AFLW at Port Adelaide on the back of a brilliant season in the midfield for Swan Districts in 2024, Edwards is always happy to see her teammates make that leap while obviously missing them at the same time.

“Obviously we’ve had a lot of girls come through Swans who have ended up in the AFL system and that’s really exciting for them, and for us too to watch,” Edwards said.

“It is sad to watch them go, but at the same time you are so happy for them and then it’s always giving someone else a chance to try and fill their shoes. Even this year in the weeks that Carys has been out, it gives a chance for someone to step up and it’s always exciting to see who can do that.”

Edwards isn’t too fussed herself if an AFLW opportunity ever presents because she is happy with the career she is building as a warehouse manager with CEA, and she’s firmly focused on making the most of her chances at Swan Districts.

“I’ve always been happy playing at Swans and I do it because I just love being at the club and playing footy,” Edwards said.

“I also have a career outside of that which takes up a lot of my time so I don’t know how that could work with AFLW.

“So I’m just focused on doing the best I can for myself and for the team at Swans, and not really thinking about anything else. It’s nice knowing I can go out there each weekend and to give my team a couple of goals, and that’s just what I’m happy with.”