AFL Grand Final: Heath Shaw wants to end his career with another premiership

Retire or play on? The answer for GWS defender Heath Shaw will become a lot clearer after the final siren of Saturday’s Grand Final against Richmond.

Heath Shaw could be less than a week from retirement depending on the Grand Final result. Picture: Getty Images

Heath Shaw says fairytale retirement as a premiership player could be only five days away as he dreams about the most unlikely flag for Greater Western Sydney.

GWS defender Shaw was jettisoned by Collingwood and arrived at a Giants team that had won only a single game the previous year.

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He is keen to play on next year if the Giants come up short on Saturday but told the Herald Sun a premiership would likely change his mind.

He joked he might go missing in the wake of epic celebrations if the Giants won but would have to consider retirement.

If we win the flag it’s going to be very hard for the club to find me,” he joked.

“I am worried about next week and it would be a fairytale finish to finish with a flag. I have got no doubt I can play on next year but I reckon that would be a pretty sweet way to finish with a premiership

“To be honest I just want to win a premiership. I have had a taste of it. Me and (Shane) Mumford are the only ones in this team who have had a taste of it and we know the feeling and just talking to “Bobby” Hill he said, ‘I am 18 years old, I just played in a prelim and am a big chance to play in a Grand Final’. It’s amazing.

“There will be stories about where they have come from to get to this place and I am excited for them but this old 33-year-old is pretty excited as well.”

Shaw had multiple suitors when he left the Pies but is proud he took the risk to move north to the Giants.

Heath Shaw says a premiership will be the perfect finish to his career. Picture: AAP

“They won one game the year before. It wasn’t like I was going to a top-four team or a premiership team. I knew I would have to bide my time a little bit and we have progressed quicker than I thought.

“To get so close a number of times hardened this group and no one really rated us coming into this finals series.”

The man whose famous smother on Nick Riewoldt in the 2010 Grand Final replay became ironic says he never believed the Giants were home despite a last-quarter 33-point lead.

“We got five or six goals up and I still wasn’t comfortable. As low scoring a game as it was, we have seen in the past few games momentum is huge. They got the momentum and the crowd got behind them and we needed to take a deep breath.

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“We couldn’t get our hands on the ball so it was an intense last quarter and a little bit of relief at the end but so much excitement.”

But there was no satisfaction in beating a side that showed him the door all those years ago.

“I suppose I have been at the Giants for six years now and it’s more reward for doing the hard yards here and being around for a long time.

“It just so happened it was against Collingwood in a prelim and it’s a credit to this group and this club and I am rapt I came up here.”