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