The veteran of no less than six previous Ovens and Murray netball grand finals heads into Sunday’s decider against Yarrawonga hoping it’s lucky seven and knowing her body can no longer take the demands of the elite competition.

The 250-game mid-courter won the grand final with Lavington in 1998 and with the Dogs in 2002 and 2005.

But she has also tasted defeat with Wodonga in 2003, 2004 and again in 2011.

Edwards said she was originally set to retire from the Ovens and Murray this year.

“I wasn’t planning to play, I was headed to Kiewa and the Tallangatta league,” Edwards said.

“But we lost some girls in the wing area and I went to pre-season for both and Kylie (Murphy) said can you go around one more time?

“In hindsight it has been good with Anna (Avery) coming back after her third child, Bec Cameron committing again and the new blood — Jane Cook, Sarah Thomas, Gemma Grimmond and Maggie Young — and I decided to have one more crack.

“But to be honest the body can’t handle it any more — Ovens and Murray is hard and this weekend will be tough, hard and fast.”

Edwards said a nasty mid-season injury turned into a blessing.

A “dodgy” Achilles was compounded by a ruptured arch and then a cracked bone in her heel.

It was four weeks in a moonboot but no rest.

“The girls were playing such great netball that I knew it was going to be tough to get back in the side,” she said.

“I was doing 200 kilometres a week on the bike knowing I had to be ready when I got my chance.”

Edwards said despite her vast experience she still felt the pressure.

“I’ve been a ball of nerves since we booked our spot in the grand final,” she said.

“I need to do work more, go for bike rides and just keep busy trying not to think about it.

“When you walk in on grand final day and there are all those people there, the atmosphere.

“In the end it comes down to who handles it better — but it is going to be a great game between two great clubs.”