Heath Shaw’s disposal efficiency hit a career low against Geelong
HEATH Shaw was one of the best ball users in the game — in one match in 2016 he had 38 possessions at 100 per cent disposal efficiency — but his ball use hit a career low last Friday night.
GWS
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FATHER time is an unwelcome visitor in every footballer’s life but he came knocking on Heath Shaw’s door last year and won’t leave the house.
Turning 33 at the end of this year, the livewire defender is showing signs of decline in his 14th season in the AFL.
He was one of the best ball users in the game.
In a match against the Western Bulldogs in 2016, he had 38 possessions at 100 per cent disposal efficiency.
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But on Friday night against Geelong he had a career-low 35 per cent.
That sort of figure is amplified for a defender because the turnovers often lead to opposition goals.
Leon Cameron has had Shaw on his books since 2014 and the former Magpie has been a key ingredient in lifting GWS from easy beats to back-to-back top-four finishers.
But he recognised the significance of Shaw’s poor performance when he spoke after the bad loss to Geelong.
“He’s been such a good player for such a long time and he’s the first one to put up his hand,” Cameron said.
“He went back into his shell and kicked it really poorly. He was rushed. Last week he went at 75 per cent but had three or four really bad clangers. However, defensively he did a good job on Charlie Cameron.
“Defensively he was all right (against Geelong) but with ball in hand he was great. It’s not to the level it needs to be at, whether its Heath Shaw at one end of his career or Zac Langdon at the other.”
It’s not the end for Shaw but he is out of contract at the end of the season and with plenty of young teammates on the improve, he is certain to feel the salary cap squeeze.
His ability to win the ball is not what it was two years ago when he was in All-Australian form but he is still averaging a respectable 21.9 possessions per game.
The worrying area of his game is what he does with it.
His disposal efficiency has dropped alarmingly from the high 70s over the past four years to 64 per cent this year.
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