Flashbacks Part 2: Heath Shaw’s favourite AFL games for Collingwood and GWS
Heath Shaw played in plenty of big wins, but the 2010 preliminary final against Geelong was extra special. He revisits the match in part two of his flashback series.
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Heath Shaw enjoyed 325 for Collingwood and GWS across a 16-season AFL career.
He’s experienced the highs of winning a grand final, the lows of losing one and everything in between.
Now retired, the champion defender has recounted his 10 favourite games during his playing days in a two-part series with the Herald Sun.
Here are his second five. You can check out Part 1 of Heater’s highlights HERE.
GAME 1
Collingwood v Geelong – Preliminary Final, 2010
Collingwood 18.12 (120) d Geelong 11.13 (79) at MCG
The. Most. Dominant. Game. I’ve. Played. In.
Down in the backline, we didn’t have to do a hell of a lot as our midfielders and forwards got right on top from the opening bounce.
After a Geelong interchange breach gifted Dale Thomas a goal, we held a 69-14 lead midway through the second quarter.
The margin was 62 points by halftime, at which point we were leading the inside-50 count 35-18.
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Nick Maxwell caused a stir for sledging the Cats after they had gone into their three-quarter-time huddle, beginning an ongoing feud with Cats star Matthew Scarlett.
The Cats did kick five of the last six goals of the game to make the scoreboard look a little more respectable, but we’d taken the foot off the pedal a little bit.
Knowing what was coming the next week, you don’t want to get injured or reported or anything like that.
I’ve played in games where we’d won by more, but never where it felt like we were unstoppable for three quarters against aquality opposition.
GAME 2
GWS v Gold Coast – Round 23, 2019
Gold Coast 7.13 (55) def by GWS 20.7 (127) at Carrara
This game quickly became about one thing – getting Jeremy Cameron a Coleman Medal.
The big key forward had entered the match six goals behind Ben Brown in the race to be the league’s leading goalkicker that season – and we as teammates were all well aware.
Jezza only had two goals to his name at halftime, but as we ran away with the game in the second half we served the ball to him on a platter to made sure he got the chocolates.
He ended up kicking seven goals in the second half – including five in the third quarter – and it was party time as we posted a 72-point win.
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Jezza finished the season with 67 goals to became the first Giants player to win a Coleman Medal, a great achievement after he had been so consistent for so long.
It was an 18th straight loss to finish the year for the Suns.
But for Jezza and our entire group, it was still a nice little confidence-booster heading into finals and helped set up an elimination final showdown with our old nemesis the Western Bulldogs.
GAME 3
Collingwood v North Melbourne – Round 1, 2007
North Melbourne 10.19 (79) def by Collingwood 12.10 (82) at MCG
I’m not sure which game the umpires were watching.
I gave away five free kicks and logged 13 clangers in what was personally a shocking game, yet still picked up two Brownlow Medal votes when the count came around at the end of the year.
Surprising, but I’ll take it.
We were also happy to take the win, which we almost threw away.
The Kangaroos had lead by 25 points at three-quarter time before a Scott Burns goal at the 24-minute-mark of the final term gave us the advantage.
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Then came one of those free kicks I mentioned.
With minutes to play, Shannon Grant had marked in front of me 45m out from goal.
I held on to him and ran well over the mark in doing so, leading to a 50m penalty against me.
But I managed to argue with the umpire and distract them enough that it ended up being barely a 30m penalty.
Lucky for me, Grant hit the post from 15m out directly in front.
On YouTube it’s labelled the ‘Worst miss in AFL history’.
It didn’t save me from copping an almighty spray from coach Mick Malthouse after the game, though.
GAME 4
GWS v Sydney – Round 1, 2014
GWS 15.9 (99) d Sydney 9.13 (67) at Sydney Showground
The Battle of the Bridge also happened to be a battle against Mother Nature on this afternoon in Sydney.
We made it into the change rooms at quarter-time, but play after that was delayed by 25 minutes when lightning struck the ground.
The lightning seemed to spark us a little, though.
After going into the first break trailing the Swans by 13 points, we turned things around on our way to a 32-point win.
It was not only my first game for the Giants after crossing from Collingwood over the off-season, but it was also Leon Cameron’s first game as coach after the retirement of Kevin Sheedy.
Leon had his wife’s 40th birthday party to attend that night, but I’ll never forget what he said to us in the rooms after the game.
“I’m just so happy, I’m just so proud of all you boys,” Leon told us.
“I’ve got my wife’s 40th birthday tonight and I don’t even want to go. I want to go out on the beers with you boys.”
No joke, we celebrated that night like we won the Grand Final.
It was huge for the club and it was huge for Leon in his first game as coach.
Then we lost to St Kilda the very next week.
Whoops.
GAME 5
Collingwood v West Coast – Semi-final, 2007
West Coast 14.10 (74) def by Collingwood 13.15 (93) at Subiaco
Coaches always say “Give me 120 minutes”.
Dane Swan had no problem giving Mick Malthouse 130 minutes this night after scores were tied at the end of the final quarter, resulting in extra time.
A Dale Thomas goal put us two points in front of the Eagles with just minutes play, before West Coast missed two shots on goal through Darren Glass and Andrew Embley to level the scores.
We’d been up against it all night.
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People who don’t barrack for Collingwood hate Collingwood anyway, but when there’s 99 per cent West Coast supporters it makes it a bit harder.
But led by Swanny – who booted the sealer – we found an extra gear and kicked the only three goals of extra time.
Swanny was unbelievable and finished with a lazy 38 touches and two goals.
We headed home on a charter flight feeling good about ourselves, but weren’t quite good enough to topple Geelong in the preliminary final the following week.
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