Missing out on Lance Franklin helped GWS secure Heath Shaw
Heath Shaw has been praised as the greatest trade in GWS Giants history as he prepares for his 300th game, and the club has Sydney rival Lance Franklin to thank.
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When Test cricket great Simon Katich landed a gig at the GWS Giants back in 2013, he was warned about the club’s other newest recruit, Heath Shaw.
Former Australian spinner and Collingwood tragic Michael Beer texted Katich to say, “Good luck running messages out to Shawy.”
But while Shane Warne or Steve Waugh might have been most people’s cricket pin up, Beer hadn’t counted on the fact that Shaw’s favourite cricketer of all time was in fact, Katich himself.
“When I found out Shawy had said I was his favourite player, I was able to tell Beery, ‘it won’t be a problem, mate!”
A year later when Shaw was knocked out by a stray Kurt Tippett boot, he fronted his comeback press conference wearing Katich’s old Perth Scorchers helmet.
As Shaw said himself at his 300-game milestone press conference earlier this week, “nothing is ever in a straight line with me. It’s always a little bit curved.”
No.1 prankster. No.1 Katich aficionado, and according to Giants chief executive David Matthews, the No.1 coup in GWS history.
And the Giants have Lance Franklin to thank.
“His first game for us was the first game we beat the Sydney Swans and he’s arguably the most important trade we’ve ever executed,” Matthews said.
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“That sits alongside our ability to secure Shane Mumford. They’re both here as a consequence of missing out on Franklin.
“He came to our club at a time when we absolutely needed him. I’m delighted for him that it’s worked out for him and I’m over the moon it’s worked out for us.”
GWS superstar Stephen Coniglio has too many stories on Shaw the class clown to mention, although most aren’t appropriate for a family newspaper. But Coniglio credits Shaw as his greatest influence.
“Besides my dad, I’d say he’s been the biggest influence,” Coniglio said.
“Player wise he’s had the greatest influence on my career and I owe a whole lot to him in terms of maybe the level I’m at now with my footy compared to what could have happened if he didn’t come to the club.”
Shaw was honoured by the Giants AFLW team he has helped mentor in recent seasons … fittingly with a video of him yelling at them demonstratively during games, just like his AFL teammates have experienced.
There was the time Shaw challenged the Giants girls that he’d buy them dinner if they beat Collingwood … next minute he ran up a $1000 bill on his credit card. Giants Godfather Al McConnell will never forget the coffee in Balmain that helped shape GWS.
“He spoke about wanting to leave a legacy,” McConnell said. “And I have no doubt he has done just that.”