Shaun Edwards will look to build on his promising comeback from a shoulder injury when the NEAFL Swans travel to Newcastle for Saturday’s Round 9 clash against Gold Coast.

Edwards, who arrived from Essendon via this year’s rookie draft, injured the AC joint in his left shoulder after copping a heavy knock in the NEAFL Swans’ clash against NT Thunder, forcing the exciting wingman off the ground and to miss the following fortnight.

The injury didn’t require surgery which meant Edwards only had to wait until the pain subsided before resuming training.

The 23-year-old slotted back into the side seamlessly last week, collecting 25 disposals (15 contested) and kicking a goal in last weekend’s clash against Sydney Uni.

While there was a lot to like, his performance ticked just one box for a man determined to tick a few more and put his name in front of the coaches with some consistent football in the coming weeks.

“I went back to Darwin, I was pretty excited to get back up there, (only to) pop out my AC joint,” Edwards told SwasnTV during the week.

“I missed two weeks but super excited to get back on Friday night and get back into some footy.

“Obviously, playing senior footy is the goal, being on the rookie list makes that tough without having a spot to get elevated, but I can only control my performances and the way I go about it.

“I’m looking forward to keeping that going and getting another win on Saturday.”

He’s determined to turn it on this weekend given the game coincides with the AFL’s Indigenous Round.

Newcastle’s No. 1 Oval obviously won’t have the same feel as Marn Grook at the SCG but that still won’t take away the significance of playing on a weekend in which his Indigenous heritage takes centre stage.

“Obviously Indigenous Round is a great platform for me to express myself in the footy world and celebrate Indigenous culture,” he added.

“It’s another opportunity for that on Saturday and I’m very much looking forward to it.”

Gold Coast meanwhile has had an up and down season to date, winning four of seven matches, to sit seventh on the ladder.

The Suns recorded a strong win against GWS at Metricon Stadium before succumbing, as many teams do, to the Thunder in Darwin before their Round 8 bye.

NEAFL coach Rhyce Shaw believes his side will still need to cautious of what the Suns can produce, especially on the back of a week’s break.

NEAFL Round 9 - Sydney Swans v Gold Coast
No. 1 Sports Ground, Newcastle
Saturday, May 27, at 12pm

* Denotes senior emergency
** Denotes QBE Sydney Swans Academy top-up