The Shaw brothers – Rhyce and Heath – are having the time of their lives. There is a natural synergy between them, on and off the field, and they are playing outstanding football for Collingwood. But they have overcome many hurdles along the way, including illness, injury and carrying the load of one of the most famous family names in the Magpies’ history.
They have been accused, tongue-in-cheek, of ‘waxing’ in Collingwood’s back half, and there is no doubt that the Magpies’ Shaw brothers – Rhyce and Heath – also feed off each other away from the footy.
Although there is a four-year age gap between them – Rhyce, 25, occasionally refers to Heath, 21, as “the kid” – and they admit they are completely different people, the Shaws are best mates.
This fact became obvious when we caught up with the pair recently at the Lexus Centre. The easy banter, the light-hearted ribbing, the hearty laughing … it was like they were having a beer together at a Shaw family barbecue in the off-season – rather than in the Magpies’ boardroom just a few days from an important match.
It comes with confidence. After suffering the burden of expectations caused by the successes of father Ray and uncles Tony and Neville at their beloved Collingwood, the brothers are playing their best footy together, and have been among Collingwood’s most consistent performers this season.
BEST OF BROTHERS
Rhyce has played 70 AFL games and is in the Magpies’ leadership group; Heath has 38 games under his belt and appears a certainty to join him in the not-too-distant future.
They gave enlightening insights into various areas of their lives, including their childhood fights, the pressures of the Shaw name, Heath’s battles with Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), Rhyce’s with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and their healthy competitive rivalry.
CHILDHOOD FIGHTS
HEATH – One time I threw a tomahawk at Rhyce and didn’t miss by much. I don’t know what it was over.
RHYCE – It would have been over backyard cricket.
HEATH – Another time I threw a cricket bat.
RHYCE – There was also a crowbar.
HEATH – It was a recurring theme – we’d argue and I’d throw something. There was a lot of drama at our house. We were always hurting each other or getting into trouble.
RHYCE – But apart from that, we’ve gotten along really well.
THE PRESSURE OF THE SHAW NAME
RHYCE – Right from the start, we copped it from supporters. I got tagged in my first game in the under-11s. I wasn’t even that good – it was just because of who my old man was. My worst memory of my junior days was my under-15s grand final. I came off with bruises all over me. There were a lot of fights that day because my teammates were sticking up for me. I think Heath missed a lot of that stuff because they’d gotten over the Shaw thing by then.
HEATH – It was more a verbal thing with me. It was usually the same old stuff: ‘You’ll never be as good as you’re old man!’ As a kid, it didn’t bother me, but as a teenager it did. But after a few years you learn to handle it.Rhyce copped most of it when he first came to Collingwood, so he’d taken most of the heat before I got here.
RHYCE – They would have been too scared to have a go at Heath anyway – he was a big kid for his age. Chubby as.
HEATH – Solid is a better word. I was about five kilos heavier than most other kids, so I tended to intimidate them with my weight.
HEATH’S ATTENTION DEFICIT DISORDER
RHYCE – Heath’s hard to describe because he’s got eight different personalities! Growing up, I was the only one who could talk to him. Mum and Dad couldn’t get through to him. Dad kicked him out of the house one night and made him sleep up in our barn. He’s very different.
HEATH – ADD is the easiest way to describe it. I was diagnosed in Year 8. It got to a point in my schooling when Mum thought that there must be something wrong with me. It wasn’t much of a surprise to either of us that I had ADD. The medication changed me.
RHYCE – When I moved out of home, Heath would come and stay with me a few times a week. He’d come over to my place and he wouldn’t be able to sit down or concentrate, but then he’d have his tablets and he’d turn into a clean freak and clean my whole house. He’d organise my cupboards and everything, and he’d do it flat-out for two hours.
HEATH – I couldn’t stop until it was all done. And it was the same with homework: once I started it, I didn’t stop until I finished it. At school, I was classified as a bit of a class clown and usually when the bell went I’d be hip-‘n’-shouldering people to get out the door first. But when I started the medication, if the bell went to go to lunch, I’d sit there until I finished my work. I became a bit compulsive. I don’t take the medication any more. You grow out of it a bit and learn to control yourself more.
RHYCE – Apart from that, he’s good in arguments. You might break even but you’ll never win because he’s always right – or so he says. He also thinks a lot about the game and he’s really smart – although you never saw it in his school report cards – but I think he’s underrated in that sense. It’s there for everyone to see in the way he plays. You couldn’t play like that unless you were smart.
RHYCE’S CHRONIC FATIGUE SYNDROME
HEATH – And of course Rhyce had Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.
RHYCE – I had it for about 18 months from the time I was 16. That was tough, not only for me but for the family. And our sister Laine had a serious car accident. We’ve all gone through hard times. But now we’re just looking forward to good times.
CRICKET LOVERS
HEATH – We’ve always loved our cricket. Even this pre-season, we’d have a hit in the nets.
RHYCE – We’d be stuffed after training but we’d still have a hit. Heath’s the better cricketer.
HEATH – When I was younger, I loved cricket more than footy. My claim to fame was that I made my first hundred in the seniors for Diamond Creek when I was 14. We both played the full day of cricket – juniors then seniors – from 9am to 6pm.
RHYCE – We also played some fathers-versus-sons backyard cricket matches. Dad and his brothers would take on our cousins and us. There were
some fiery games.
EMBARRASSING NICKNAMES
RHYCE – Heath called me ‘Dicky’ for ages.
HEATH – I did, but I don’t know where that came from. His other one is ‘Agro’ because he looked like Agro from Agro’s Cartoon Connection!
RHYCE – I was shattered with that. I played a lot of junior footy with Benny Johnson and he brought it to the club and then (former Magpie) Heath Scotland picked it up, and ‘Pebs’ (Anthony Rocca) and ‘Lica’ (Paul Licuria) call me it. Heath cops ‘Hughesy’ after Dave Hughes the comedian.
COMPETITIVE RIVALRY
RHYCE – Heath’s always in front of me on stats and rankings. I don’t understand the Herald Sun ranking points. The other week, Heath had a quiet game, only 11 touches, and I had more kicks, more marks, more handballs, and he had more clangers, but he scored 100-odd points and I got 59. I don’t get it.
HEATH – After another game, when I had seven less touches than Rhyce, I said: ‘I reckon I’ll still rank higher’. And I did. Buggered if I know how.
RHYCE – Me and ‘Johnno’ reckon Heath starts the game with 50 points. I also look at the rankings in Inside Football, and he’s two votes in front of me. We’ve got the most points for Collingwood. Dad used to work for Inside Football, so they give us an extra point.
HEATH – We lived together up until recently and we always pushed each other. In the off-season, he might get up in the morning and go for a 20-minute run and then he’d say: ‘What have you been doing? I’ve just been for a run.’ Within five minutes I’d have my running gear on and I’d be out the door for a run myself. And we’d be saying: ‘What time did you get?’ Trying to catch him is improving my footy. He’s helped me make the transition to AFL football. He’s also very passionate in everything he does. He’s always been one of the three or four guys who are always talking and lifting everyone on the training track.
RHYCE – Heath’s lifted me to another level as well by making me think more about setting an example with preparation and training. When I was out with my knee and he was playing such good footy, I felt I was missing out and it inspired me to get back and be a part of it.
‘WAXING’ WITH EACH OTHER
HEATH – The boys reckon we just have the blinkers on for each other, so they rib us about it.
RHYCE – I don’t think we’re too bad, but they call us the Bowdens.
HEATH – With both of us being running backs, there’s always going to be opportunities to give the ball to each other. I’d rather give the ball to Rhyce than one of the big blokes because they can’t kick.
RHYCE – I prefer Heath to do that too. And I try my best to return the favour.
HEATH – He owes me a few.
RHYCE – There’s no telepathy or anything between us, but we’re good judges of each other’s capabilities. Heath won’t kick it to me in certain situations, like a marking contest or if an opposition player is too close – and I might get angry at him for it, but I understand why – whereas I can kick to Heath any time because he’s very good in pretty much every situation.
HEATH – If Rhyce is on the run, you just have to put it out in front of him – a fair way out in front, because he’s so quick.
ON-FIELD BICKERING
HEATH – We had a bit of a screaming match against Richmond (in round three). I kicked out to Rhyce and I was free in the middle, but he took off and kicked it and there was a turnover. Very politely, I said: ‘Have a look inside!’ He came back at me about it. It wasn’t a personal thing; it happened because we were losing and things weren’t going our way. At half-time, we tapped each other on the hand and we were fine. Our second half was heaps better.
RHYCE – The boys were into us about it after the game – ‘What’s going on with you two?’ We both get white-line fever. And we’re brothers – we’re going to argue occasionally. But we get over it quickly too because we’re best mates.
WORST HABITS
RHYCE – I’m used to all Heath’s bad habits. There’s no good ones; they’re all terrible.
HEATH – At home, we’re both fairly lazy, particularly diet-wise. Our eating patterns aren’t great. We’d sooner buy something from a shop than actually cook at home. With skin-folds, we’re two of the worst.
RHYCE – We’re the fat boys of the club. I’ve been in the fattest five for eight years.
AFTER FOOTBALL
HEATH – I see Rhyce coaching. He’s a good communicator and he works particularly well with younger people.
RHYCE – Heath will be an entrepreneur. The kid’s got the mindset that he wants to make money – any way he can.
HEATH – I’ll sell your Mum to make some quick coin … Rhyce is also doing a building course.
RHYCE – I’ve started about 10 courses but I haven’t finished one.
HEATH – I’ll buy some property and Rhyce can build the house for me.
RHYCE – That’s if I finish my building course.
HEATH – If you build the house, it doesn’t mean I’ll live in it. I’ll sell it to someone else and it can fall down on them.
SHAW THINGS
Rhyce on Heath
“Heath is the best backman in the League. Bar none. He’s a leader down there – he pretty much runs our defence. Forwards don’t kick goals on him, he gets 20 touches a game, he’s courageous, a strong mark, a great kick, he’s a great decision-maker under pressure. When he was a junior, we always knew he’d be a good player, but we didn’t think he’d come on this quick. It’s just awesome watching him play. You wouldn’t find a prouder person than myself. Hopefully he can keep it going because the likes of ‘Daisy’ (Dale Thomas), Scotty Pendlebury and Heath will take us a long way and hopefully build a dynasty. They play with passion, play for the jumper and they lead by example.”
Heath on Rhyce
“The extra responsibility of going into the leadership group has really helped Rhyce because, if he has a bad game, he can’t show it as much because there are people watching him. Two years ago (in 2005), he was in the top two trainers at the club, and the best runner, and his first 12 games were second-to-none, then he did his knee. But after putting in a big pre-season, he’s back to where he was before the knee.”
This article appears in the round 11 edition of the AFL Record.
