Heath Shaw
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| Personal Info | |
|---|---|
| Birth | November 27, 1985, Victoria |
| Recruited from | Diamond Creek/Northern U18
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| Playing Career¹ | |
| Debut | Round 17, July 22, 2005, Collingwood vs. St Kilda, at Telstra Dome |
| Team(s) | Collingwood (2005-)
28 games, 10 goals |
| ¹ Statistics to end of 2006 season | |
| Career Highlights | |
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Heath Shaw (born November 27, 1985) is an Australian rules footballer in the Australian Football League
After being drafted under the father-son rule in the 2003 AFL Draft at pick 48, Heath made his AFL debut in 2005 against St Kilda at the Telstra Dome. 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 in a game that saw Collingwood lose by more than 100 points.
[edit] 2006 season
Heath had a stunning 2006 season where he became 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. Heath played 22 games, with his first being in Round 2 against Hawthorn 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 he had 23 touches and 10 marks, and in the following week he won a AFL Rising Star 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 1%ers. 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 Port Adelaide where he had 27 kicks, 6 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 2 no.1 game rankings.
At the end of the season, Shaw played in his first final against the Western Bulldogs, as the Pies failed. During the lead-up, Shaw had finished 3rd in the 2006 AFL Rising Star, with Danyle Pearce of Port Adelaide taking out the award from Richmond's Andrew Raines and Shaw. Shaw would also poll 6 votes in the 2006 Brownlow Medal, but from vision of the after-party, it seemed like he wouldn't have remembered any of the votes. Shaw polled well in the Copeland Trophy, finishing equal fourth.
[edit] Family Relations
Heath is the son of former captain Ray Shaw, and brother of Rhyce. He is also the nephew of premiership captain and Norm Smith Medallist, Tony Shaw and former Collingwood player Neville Shaw. His cousin, Brayden (son of Tony) was drafted in the same year as Heath, but failed to play a game before being delisted in 2005. Heath is also renowned for his friendship with International Relations expert and infamous nightclub identity, Ben Stevens.
