Heath Shaw (born 27 November 1985) is a former

Australian rules footballer Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an oval field, often a modified cricket ground. Points are scored by k ...

who played for the Collingwood Football Club and the Greater Western Sydney Giants in the Australian Football League (AFL). Heath grew up in

Diamond Creek Diamond Creek is a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 23 km north-east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the Shire of Nillumbik local government area. Diamond Creek recorded a population of 12,503 at the 20 ...

and played junior sport for

Diamond Creek Football Club The Diamond Creek Football Club is an Australian rules football club located in Diamond Creek – an outer north-eastern suburb of Melbourne. History Formed in 1904, the club was a founding member of the Whittlesea District Football Associat ...

and Diamond Creek Cricket Club.

AFL career

After being drafted under the

father–son rule The father–son rule is a rule that allows clubs preferential recruiting access to the sons of players who have made a major past contribution to the club in Australian rules football, most notably in the Australian Football League. The rule ...

in the 2003 AFL Draft at pick 48 to , Shaw made his

AFL AFL may refer to: Sports * American Football League (AFL), a name shared by several separate and unrelated professional American football leagues: ** American Football League (1926) (a.k.a. "AFL I"), first rival of the National Football Leagu ...

debut in 2005 against St Kilda at the

Telstra Dome Docklands Stadium, also currently known by naming rights sponsorship as Marvel Stadium, is a multi-purpose sports and entertainment stadium in the Docklands area of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Construction started in October 1997 and w ...

. He was a solid contributor since making his debut, with his best game being his first. A running defender, Heath has pace and good ball skills which can make him into a good footballer. He played all possible remaining 6 games of the season and kicked his first goal against

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...

in Round 21.

Collingwood (2006–2013)

Shaw had a stunning 2006 season, being quickly noted for his ball-winning ability out of the back-line and his consistency and reliability which was a key to the success of the Magpies. He played 22 games, with his first being in Round 2 against

Hawthorn Hawthorn or Hawthorns may refer to: Plants * '' Crataegus'' (hawthorn), a large genus of shrubs and trees in the family Rosaceae * ''Rhaphiolepis'' (hawthorn), a genus of about 15 species of evergreen shrubs and small trees in the family Rosace ...

after being a late replacement for Scott Burns. Shaw had played for VFL affiliate Williamstown, where he had 30 touches in wet and windy conditions, only 24 hours before his call up. Shaw kept his spot for the rest of the season, building game-time each week early on to becoming a valuable player to the side. In Round 4 on ANZAC Day against

Essendon Essendon may refer to: Australia *Electoral district of Essendon *Electoral district of Essendon and Flemington * Essendon, Victoria **Essendon railway station **Essendon Airport * Essendon Football Club in the Australian Football League United Ki ...

he had 23 touches and 10 marks, and in the following week, he won an

AFL Rising Star The AFL Rising Star is an Australian rules football award presented annually to the player adjudged the best young player in the Australian Football League (AFL) for the year. It was first presented in the 1993 season, and was won by Nathan Buc ...

nomination. Shaw had 16 games with 18 or more disposals during the season, which showed his consistency. He somewhat tailed off at the end of the season, but still was effective with his one percenters. Shaws ended up having 448 disposals (313 kicks, 135 handballs) at an average of more than 20 touches a game. His best game being against where he had 27 kicks, six handballs, 11 marks and kicked a fantastic goal in a thriller at AAMI Stadium. Heath also had 160 marks and accumulated 2210 Champion Data ranking points at an average of 100, and was ranked inside the top 10 in a game on 13 occasions, including two no.1 game rankings. Shaw played in his first final against the

Western Bulldogs The Western Bulldogs are a professional Australian rules football team that competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's premier competition. Founded in 1877 as the Footscray Football Club, and based in West Footscray in the o ...

, but Collingwood lost. Shaw also came third in the 2006

behind Danyle Pearce of and Andrew Raines of . Shaw also polled six votes in the 2006

Brownlow Medal The Charles Brownlow Trophy, better known as the Brownlow Medal (and informally as "Charlie"), is awarded to the "best and fairest" player in the Australian Football League (AFL) during the home-and-away season, as determined by votes cast by t ...

, including a game-high of three votes in the Round 12 game against the Sydney Swans. Shaw also placed fourth in the 2006

Copeland Trophy The E.W. Copeland Trophy is an Australian rules football award given by the Collingwood Football Club to the player adjudged best and fairest for Collingwood during the year. The Copeland Shield, as it was formerly known, was donated by Ern Cope ...

. In 2007, Shaw started the season in great fashion. He would have a solid pre-season and then become one of the players of the first quarter of the year; leading the league in kicks (114 @ 19.0) after round 6. He had an extraordinary opening game of the season, where he had 27 disposals, and collected two Brownlow votes despite giving away five free kicks, including a

50-metre penalty In the sport of Australian rules football, the 50-metre penalty is applied by umpires to a number of different infractions when a free kick or mark has already been paid. The laws of the game also allow leagues to use a 25-metre penalty in place ...

in the final minutes of the game, which resulted in a

Shannon Grant Shannon Grant (born 19 April 1977) is a former Australian rules footballer who was a midfielder in the AFL. He began his career at the Sydney Swans in 1995 before moving to the Kangaroos in 1998 and being a part of their 1999 premiership side ...

controversial miss. On Anzac Day, Shaw would put on a show of courage and determination in where he won the

Anzac Day Medal The Anzac Day match is an annual Australian rules football match between Collingwood and Essendon, two clubs in the Australian Football League, held on Anzac Day (25 April) at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). History of Australian rul ...

, racking up 23 kicks, nine handballs and 13 marks against the

Bombers A bomber is a military combat aircraft designed to attack ground and naval targets by dropping air-to-ground weaponry (such as bombs), launching torpedoes, or deploying air-launched cruise missiles. The first use of bombs dropped from an aircra ...

. Essendon coach Kevin Sheedy labelled the Shaw boys as trouble and a pair that needed to be stopped. Heath would be on notice by opposition coaches for the majority of the season, with taggers

Kane Cornes Kane Graham Cornes (born 5 January 1983) is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the Port Adelaide Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). Early life A product of Sacred Heart College and Glenelg in the SAN ...

and

Kane Johnson Kane "Sugar" Johnson (born 15 March 1978) is a former Australian rules footballer and former captain of the Richmond Football Club and dual premiership winner with the Adelaide Crows in the Australian Football League (AFL). Career He began ...

to name a few would be told to restrict his run off half-back. Shaw's

All-Australian The All-Australian team is an all-star team of Australian rules footballers, selected by a panel at the end of each season. It represents a complete team, including an interchange bench, of the best-performed players during the season, led b ...

form would deteriorate with the extra attention, as well as a

corked thigh Cork taint is a broad term referring to a wine fault characterized by a set of undesirable smells or tastes found in a bottle of wine, especially spoilage that can only be detected after bottling, aging and opening. Though modern studies have sho ...

/quad he encountered against Fremantle in round ten. He would be heavily bandaged on his left leg for the rest of the season. Shaw played an exciting brand of football late in the season, including a good finals series. He would have 25 disposals in the losing preliminary final in which the club lost to the eventual premiers, Geelong by five points. Shaw would poll seven votes in the

, as well as finish equal fourth (fifth on the new countback system) in the

and was considered unlucky not to be selected in the

team. Shaw started 2008 well with a best-on-ground performance against , but found the going tough mid-season when opposition clubs finally discovered ways to curb his influence. Shaw and Alan Didak were suspended for the rest of the season by the club following a serious late-night indiscretion. Hamstring troubles and a suspension for contact with an umpire caused a slow start to 2009. He played only two of the first six matches before returning in round seven against St Kilda and did not miss a beat for the remainder of the year. Was one of the most consistent Magpies in the finals. Finished third in the Copeland Trophy and won the Bob Rose Trophy as the Best Finals Player. In 2010 he was one of Collingwood's best players across the two Grand Finals. He enshrined himself in Collingwood history in the replay by his freakish smother of

Nick Riewoldt Nicholas Fredrick Riewoldt ( ; born 17 October 1982) is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the St Kilda Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). He was the first draft selection in the 2000 AFL draft. He was the ...

who meandered to the goal line. Shaw managed to knock the ball free from Riewoldt's hands before it could even touch his boot to save a certain goal and tip the momentum Collingwood's way. By mid-year 2011 he was a popularly tipped by most pundits to be a certain inclusion in the All-Australian team but after he was found to have laid a bet on teammate he was suspended for the rest of the season. In 2013, Shaw's on-field issues were highlighted again during Collingwood's loss to Port Adelaide in the Elimination Final where he played on

Angus Monfries Angus Monfries (born 19 January 1987) is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played for the Essendon Football Club and Port Adelaide Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). Monfries played as a forward pocket or ...

. During the game, Shaw gave away a crucial free kick in the goal square early in the second quarter and after the siren for half-time rang, he threw the ball at Monfries' head. At the end of the 2013 season, Collingwood agreed to trade Shaw despite signing a two-year contract extension in 2012.

Greater Western Sydney (2014–2020)

In October 2013, Shaw was traded to Greater Western Sydney in exchange for Taylor Adams. In 2015, he won the Kevin Sheedy Medal as Greater Western Sydney's best and fairest. Shaw was recognised for his defensive efforts by earning a place in the back-pocket in the

2015 All-Australian team The 2015 Virgin Australia All-Australian team represents the best performed Australian Football League (AFL) players during the 2015 season. It was announced on 22 September as a complete Australian rules football team of 22 players. The team is ...

. He was also selected in the 2016 All-Australian team, this time on the half-back line.

Controversies

Shaw was involved in a late-season controversy in 2008 when he was charged with drink driving after crashing into a parked car and reportedly registering a blood alcohol reading of 0.144. On 4 August the Collingwood Football Club released a statement saying that Shaw had lied to them; teammate Alan Didak was his passenger when the accident happened, but Shaw and Didak denied this and the entire team fronted the media in a show of unity, where Shaw refused to divulge the identity of the passenger under media questioning. He was backed up by captain Scott Burns. However eyewitnesses identified Didak, and after the pair admitted to lying to their teammates and club officials, they were banned until the end of the season. In Round 3, 2009, Shaw pushed umpire Michael Vozzo off-balance after he had paid a free kick to the opposition. This resulted in Shaw being suspended for one game and fined $1950. Shaw was suspended by the AFL in July 2011 after it was found that he had paid $10 to a friend to bet on teammate

Nick Maxwell Nicholas Maxwell (born 3 June 1983) is a former Australian rules football player and former captain of the Collingwood Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). Early life Nick Maxwell was born in Geelong to parents Sue and Do ...

to be the first goalscorer in Collingwood's Round 9 match against

. AFL integrity rules prohibit all players and club officials from participating in any form of betting on football matches. He was fined $20,000 and suspended for 8 weeks, as well as a six-week suspended sentence. During the 2014 off-season, Shaw was detained by Victorian police for drunken behaviour early on the morning of the

AFL Grand Final The AFL Grand Final is an Australian rules football match to determine the premiers for the Australian Football League (AFL) season. From its inception until 1989, it was known as the VFL Grand Final, as the league at that time was the Victori ...

, which his brother Rhyce was to take part in for the Sydney Swans. He was the second Giants player to fall foul of the law in 2014, after teammate

Toby Greene Toby Greene (born 27 December 1993) is a professional Australian rules footballer playing for the Greater Western Sydney Giants in the Australian Football League (AFL). He was recruited by the Greater Western Sydney Giants with the 11th ov ...

was suspended for five matches earlier in the season also for drunken behaviour following the team's 111-point loss to in Round 8. In round five, 2017, during the third quarter of the twelfth Sydney Derby, Shaw made an insensitive comment towards Sydney Swans player

Tom Papley Tom Papley (born 13 July 1996) is an Australian rules footballer playing for the Sydney Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). He was drafted with pick 14 in the 2016 rookie draft. AFL career Papley made his AFL debut in rou ...

while being tackled.

Education

Shaw attended Loyola College, Watsonia, in Melbourne's outer north-east suburbs.

Personal life

Shaw is the son of former Collingwood captain Ray Shaw, and brother of Rhyce. He is also the nephew of premiership captain and

Norm Smith Medal The Norm Smith Medal is an Australian rules football award presented annually to the player adjudged the best on ground in the Grand Final of the Australian Football League (AFL). Prior to 1990 the competition was known as the Victorian Football ...

list, Tony Shaw and former Collingwood player

Neville Shaw Neville William Shaw (born 4 October 1964) is a former Australian rules footballer who played with Collingwood in the Victorian Football League (VFL). Shaw, a Keon Park Stars recruit, was the youngest of three brothers to play for Collingwoo ...

. His cousin Brayden (son of Tony) was drafted in the same year as Heath, but he failed to play a game before being delisted in 2005.

Statistics

:''Statistics are correct to the end of 2020''Heath Shaw's player profile at AFL Tables
/ref> , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" , 2005 , style="text-align:center;", , 39 , , 6 , , 1 , , 0 , , 66 , , 24 , , 90 , , 40 , , 11 , , 0.2 , , 0.0 , , 11.0 , , 4.0 , , 15.0 , , 6.7 , , 1.8 , , 0 , - style="background:#eaeaea;" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" , 2006 , style="text-align:center;", , 39 , , 22 , , 9 , , 4 , , 313 , , 136 , , 449 , , 160 , , 54 , , 0.4 , , 0.2 , , 14.2 , , 6.2 , , 20.4 , , 7.3 , , 2.5 , , 6 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" , 2007 , style="text-align:center;", , 39 , , 25 , , 2 , , 4 , , 361 , , 126 , , 487 , , 164 , , 68 , , 0.1 , , 0.2 , , 14.4 , , 5.0 , , 19.5 , , 6.6 , , 2.7 , , 7 , - style="background:#eaeaea;" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 39 , , 18 , , 6 , , 5 , , 247 , , 119 , , 366 , , 125 , , 33 , , 0.3 , , 0.3 , , 13.7 , , 6.6 , , 20.3 , , 6.9 , , 1.8 , , 5 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" , 2009 , style="text-align:center;", , 39 , , 21 , , 2 , , 3 , , 295 , , 187 , , 482 , , 118 , , 43 , , 0.1 , , 0.1 , , 14.0 , , 8.9 , , 23.0 , , 5.6 , , 2.0, , 5 , - style="background:#eaeaea;" , scope=row bgcolor=F0E68C , 2010^# , , , 39 , , 23 , , 5 , , 3 , , 345 , , 144 , , 489 , , 129 , , 53 , , 0.2 , , 0.1 , , 15.0 , , 6.3 , , 21.3 , , 5.6 , , 2.3, , 5 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" , 2011 , style="text-align:center;", , 39 , , 17 , , 2 , , 2 , , 282 , , 95 , , 377 , , 116 , , 60 , , 0.1 , , 0.1 , , 16.6 , , 5.6 , , 22.2 , , 6.8 , , 3.5, , 3 , - style="background:#eaeaea;" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gat ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 39 , , 21 , , 9 , , 2 , , 318 , , 105 , , 423 , , 107 , , 58 , , 0.4 , , 0.1 , , 15.1 , , 5.0 , , 20.1 , , 5.1 , , 2.8, , 1 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fa ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 39 , , 20 , , 1 , , 6 , , 278 , , 113 , , 391 , , 114 , , 60 , , 0.1 , , 0.3 , , 13.9 , , 5.7 , , 19.6 , , 5.7 , , 3.0, , 0 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

, style="text-align:center;" style="white-space: nowrap;, , , 23 , 17 , , 0 , , 3 , , 275 , , 82 , , 357 , , 83 , , 30 , , 0.0 , , 0.2 , , 16.2 , , 4.8 , , 21.0 , , 4.9 , , 1.8 , , 0 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" , 2015 , style="text-align:center;", , 23 , , 22 , , 1 , , 2 , , bgcolor=CAE1FF , 420^† , , 97 , , 517 , , 145 , , 61 , , 0.0 , , 0.1 , , bgcolor=CAE1FF , 19.1^† , , 4.4 , , 23.5 , , 6.6 , , 2.8 , , 0 , - style="background:#eaeaea;" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the Impeachment of Dilma Rousseff, impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses duri ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 23 , , 24 , , 1 , , 0 , , bgcolor=CAE1FF , 503^† , , 77 , , 580 , , 183 , , 61 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , bgcolor=CAE1FF , 21.0^† , , 3.2 , , 24.2 , , 7.6 , , 2.5, , 2 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a s ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 23 , , 25 , , 0 , , 4 , , 393 , , 122 , , 515 , , 151 , , 37 , , 0.0 , , 0.2 , , 15.7 , , 4.9 , , 20.6 , , 6.0 , , 1.5, , 0 , - style="background:#eaeaea;" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the Unit ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 23 , , 20 , , 0 , , 2 , , 361 , , 84 , , 445 , , 115 , , 53 , , 0.0 , , 0.1 , , 18.1 , , 4.2 , , 22.3 , , 5.8 , , 2.7, , 0 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 23 , , 26 , , 0 , , 1 , , 419 , , 103 , , 522 , , 177 , , 60 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 16.1 , , 4.0 , , 20.1 , , 6.8 , , 2.3, , 0 , - style="background:#eaeaea;" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global social and economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, worldwide lockdowns and the largest economic recession since the Great Depression in t ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 23 , , 17 , , 3 , , 1 , , 162 , , 47 , , 209 , , 78 , , 38 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 9.5 , , 2.8 , , 12.3 , , 4.6 , , 2.2, , 0 , - class="sortbottom" ! colspan=3, Career ! 325 ! 42 ! 42 ! 5062 ! 1667 ! 6729 ! 2017 ! 781 ! 0.1 ! 0.1 ! 15.8 ! 5.2 ! 21.0 ! 6.3 ! 2.4 ! 34 Notes

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Shaw, Heath 1985 births Living people Australian rules footballers from Melbourne Collingwood Football Club players Collingwood Football Club Premiership players Greater Western Sydney Giants players Northern Knights players Kevin Sheedy Medal winners All-Australians (AFL) One-time VFL/AFL Premiership players People educated at Loyola College People from Diamond Creek, Victoria