Heath Shaw says brother Rhyce is improving after stepping away from North Melbourne coaching job

Heath Shaw has given an insight into his brother Rhyce’s recovery after stepping down as North Melbourne coach and revealed the level of support he’s received.

Rhyce Shaw is spending time with family after stepping away from the North Melbourne coaching job.

Rhyce Shaw will return to football “in the not-too-distant future” and won’t be lost to the game after a tough senior coaching initiation saw him part company with North Melbourne last month, according to his brother Heath.

Shaw took leave for personal reasons soon after the Kangaroos’ final game of the season against West Coast which ended a difficult season in the Queensland hub.

Then soon after he and the Kangaroos agreed to a settlement after only one season of a three-year coaching deal he won following an initial caretaker’s role.

Speaking for the first time at length about his brother’s shock departure from North Melbourne for personal reasons, Heath Shaw said Rhyce didn’t get the support he needed in the senior coaching role.

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As worrying as the past few months have been, Shaw is relieved that his brother is on the improve and has been buoyed by more than 700 message of support he has received from those in the football world.

The two brothers were reunited in Sydney this weekend to celebrate Heath’s 35th birthday.

“Rhyce is not going to be lost to footy, even though he is definitely not coaching anywhere else next year,” Heath Shaw told the Sunday Herald Sun.

“He will be involved in football in the not-too-distant future, but it has to be the right role for him. It has to be somewhere where he can ease his way back into it.

“He is a very good coach and he still loves footy.”

Rhyce Shaw lasted only one season of his three-year coaching contract.

In a statement Rhyce Shaw made after stepping away from the Kangaroos, he stressed: “Despite the challenges of the past year, my passion for football remains.”

“The experiences I’ve had throughout my career developing young footballers to reach their potential has given me the greatest satisfaction and pride, and I hope to have the opportunity to contribute to this great game again in the future.”

Heath Shaw, who was delisted by the Giants at the end of the season and won’t be seeking to extend his career at a third AFL club, said his brother was progressing well, but needed some time away from the game to recharge his batteries.

Brothers Heath and Rhyce Shaw with father Ray after the 2010 Grand Final replay.

“He is really good at the moment,” he said. “There were some really tough times and I suppose for him he wanted to have it over and done with.

“Rhyce didn’t get the support he needed (at North Melbourne). It wasn’t handled as well as we would have liked, but in the end, we got the result we wanted.”

Rhyce has been spending time with his young family — wife Lia and sons Freddie and Louis – as well as his parents Ray and Lisa.

Heath said Rhyce’s wife had been a tower of strength through the difficult process.

“He is enjoying a bit of family time to spend with the little ones,” Heath said.

“They are keeping him busy and he is able to go and see Mum and Dad.

“He’s also catching up with a few of his old mates, which he missed out on a lot as the footy was so full on.

“He has had a ridiculous amount of support from all walks of life. I had to get onto him about replying to people. He reckons he has had 700 messages he hasn’t responded to. I said, ‘Now’s the time to start chipping away at them’.”

Rhyce Shaw, who turned 39 last month, has always been a highly-regarded football mind, having become the first person to win the AFL Coaches’ Association’s Assistant Coach of the Year on two occasions (in 2017 and 2018). His work in developing young players has been one of his greatest assets.