HAVING piled on 20kg in his first two seasons at Port Adelaide, key forward Mason Shaw is transforming himself into a formidable physical specimen.
The 197cm right-footer arrived at the Power after being selected with pick No. 30 at the 2012 NAB AFL Draft. His 106 goals in 31 games for South Fremantle's colts side was proof could play, but at just 77kg he was far too slight to make an impact at senior level.
However a diet designed by Port’s strength coach and nutritionist Andrew Rondinelli and a weights regime has seen Shaw quickly acquire the physique needed in the AFL.
Now weighing 97kg, Shaw's attention has focused to building his SANFL form after a late start to the 2014 season due to a wrist injury.
A six-goal bag last weekend suggests he's on the right track, although he may still be some way from securing an AFL debut.
Such a change in mass can sometimes plays havoc with the body, as the increased stress often leads to soft tissue injuries.
But Shaw told AFL.com.au he had hardly noticed the extra weight and insisted he was fitter now than ever before.
"I've put on about 20 kilos in the last couple of years, so it's been a pretty big change," Shaw said.
"I was eating quite a bit there for a while, but I live with Sam Colquhoun (179cm, 75kg) and he's only a little feller, he usually only eats half of what's on his plate so there's usually an extra half a plate there for me most nights.
"It does sound like a lot (of weight) but Matthew Lobbe put on a similar amount in his first few years and a lot of the key forwards tend to put on a lot of weight in their first year.
"It's been about a kilo a month for me and with all the running that you do you don't really notice it – I'm fitter now than when I first got to the club."
Port's high performance manager Darren Burgess acknowledged the risk of players adding too much weight too quickly.
In Shaw's case though, Burgess was thrilled with the benefits the added bulk had triggered.
"We're mindful of that [risk] and we think we've put him on a pretty solid path without going over the top," Burgess told AFL.com.au.
"He (Shaw) seems to be improving and growing both in his running and his strength as a result of it – we're rapt with him, particularly his last month.
"He's probably on that borderline where we're happy with him but we don't want him to put on any more."
Shaw's upward trend bodes well for the Power's forward line, which, despite its impressive output in 2014, still requires another key target.
His 18-year-old teammate Mitch Harvey is seen more as the 'stay at home forward' prospect, while Shaw has been compared to Justin Westhoff – capable of pushing high up the ground.
Shaw understood the comparison but said he didn't see himself as a Westhoff replica.
"I'm just trying to take a leaf out of his book and watch how hard he works, but ultimately I want to be my own footballer," he said.
"I definitely like to get up the ground and work around. It just means that if the ball's not coming inside forward 50 much I can still be involved in the game.
"As a junior footballer I stayed more inside 50 and that can get a bit restricting. I'd like to be that mobile forward who can run around up the ground and be damaging inside forward 50 as well."
