Heath Shaw has followed in his older brother's footsteps after leaving behind a sometimes-troubled playing career with Collingwood to move to the harbour city.
The younger Shaw's nine-year association with Collingwood ended in acrimonious circumstances last year when he declared he wanted to remain a Pie, only to be traded to the Giants for Taylor Adams.
The situation at Collingwood reached boiling point with his display in the elimination final loss to Port Adelaide, when he had an infamous altercation with Angus Monfries.
It followed a year of headlines about Collingwood's 'Rat Pack', a group that included Shaw, Dane Swan, Alan Didak and Dale Thomas, and a supposed rift with coach Nathan Buckley.
But Rhyce Shaw is keen to set the record straight, believing his brother was made a scapegoat at Collingwood and will show his true worth with GWS.
Already elected into the Giants' leadership group, Shaw would make "a perfect captain" at his new club, according to his big brother.
"At Collingwood, towards the end of the year, people questioned whether he had his teammates' best interests at heart," Rhyce told AFL.com.au.
"I know for a fact there's not one bloke at Collingwood that would say a bad word about Heath.
"He's a fantastic leader, he knows the game inside out, he's courageous, he does the right things and he takes the young guys along with him.
"And I just think at GWS, that's the kind of thing they need at this point.
"For me he'd be the perfect captain for them. With all his experience and attributes as a leader, that's exactly what they need at this time.
"I think a lot of people would feel the same way."
The club will announce its 2014 captains in the coming weeks and they will come from a leadership group that includes Callan Ward, Phil Davis, Tom Scully, Shaw, Shane Mumford and Stephen Gilham.
Rhyce said he would be "very surprised" if Heath wasn't a vice-captain or a captain before giving an insight into his brother's character and the circumstances behind his departure from Collingwood.
"I just really want to get across my point of view of what Heath is really like," he said.
"When he left Collingwood there were a lot of things being said that I didn't agree with.
"There were questions over his character and I think some people mentioned his selfish behaviour out on the field, and that really didn't sit well with me and hasn't sat well with me for a while.
"I know my brother inside and out. We lived together 95 per cent of the time I lived in Melbourne and that's just not what my brother is all about.
"Heath's one of the most passionate people you will ever come across.
"I know sometimes it does boil over for him a little bit, but he's got the best intentions. There's no question about that.
"Sometimes he goes about it the wrong way, but I know that deep down he's only doing that because he wants the best for his team and his teammates."
Heath Shaw gets to grips with Port Adelaide's Angus Monfries in last year's finals. Picture: AFL Media
Shaw feels the incident with Monfries, which was replayed on television screens for weeks afterwards, was blown way out of proportion.
"Throwing the ball at Angus Monfries was the perfect example of people overreacting and thinking, 'There's someone we can blame it on because Heath's gone off his rocker'," he said.
"People made a massive deal of that and really it was just a tiny incident in a game where a lot of things went wrong for the Pies and Port played a great game.
"He's just an easy target."
Rhyce Shaw can certainly speak from experience.
He spent eight seasons at the Pies and left the club at the age of 27, the same age Heath was when he was traded last year.
The older Shaw also didn't have a great reputation for discipline, but has carved out an outstanding career with the Swans.
Runner-up in their best and fairest in 2009, he was named in the leadership group the following season, where he has remained.
He received a rousing reception when named best clubman at the 2011 best and fairest awards and has been an exceptional mentor to some young Swans, including Gary Rohan and Alex Johnson as they battled injuries.
He is confident his younger brother can forge a similar legacy in Sydney.
"It's funny, at Christmas time dad (former Collingwood skipper Ray Shaw) was talking about how all the Shaws have been sacked from Collingwood," Rhyce recalled with a laugh.
"Every one of us has either been sacked or moved on.
"But it is similar. Heath left Collingwood at pretty much the same age I did.
"I probably didn't put my best foot forward at Collingwood and things didn't work out for me.
"The circumstances changed for Heath as well and hopefully him coming up here gives him a fresh start.
"He's a better player than I am, he really is an unbelievable player, and he's going to take that club forward and put them on his back and they'll win games, I've got no doubt about it."
The younger Shaw is already making an impact at the Giants.
At training they now use the 'Shawry drill', a two-sided handball game he introduced from his Collingwood days that helps teach the defensive principles of pressing up on the ball.
He has been living with Rhyce in Sydney's eastern suburbs, but is moving out this week with young teammates Jonathon Patton and Stephen Coniglio.
"He's moving out on Wednesday, thank God," Rhyce joked.
But Rhyce has no doubt the Giants will get enormous reward for their five-year investment in his brother.
"I missed a lot of footy at Collingwood, but then I had a great run when I came to Sydney (he missed two games in his first four years as a Swan)," he said.
"I can see him doing the same thing.
"I think it's the sun up here."
Twitter: @AFL_JD
"Throwing the ball at Angus Monfries was the perfect example of people overreacting and thinking, 'There's someone we can blame it on because Heath's gone off his rocker'," he said.
"People made a massive deal of that and really it was just a tiny incident in a game where a lot of things went wrong for the Pies and Port played a great game.
"He's just an easy target."
Rhyce Shaw can certainly speak from experience.
He spent eight seasons at the Pies and left the club at the age of 27, the same age Heath was when he was traded last year.
The older Shaw also didn't have a great reputation for discipline, but has carved out an outstanding career with the Swans.
Runner-up in their best and fairest in 2009, he was named in the leadership group the following season, where he has remained.
He received a rousing reception when named best clubman at the 2011 best and fairest awards and has been an exceptional mentor to some young Swans, including Gary Rohan and Alex Johnson as they battled injuries.
He is confident his younger brother can forge a similar legacy in Sydney.
"It's funny, at Christmas time dad (former Collingwood skipper Ray Shaw) was talking about how all the Shaws have been sacked from Collingwood," Rhyce recalled with a laugh.
"Every one of us has either been sacked or moved on.
"But it is similar. Heath left Collingwood at pretty much the same age I did.
"I probably didn't put my best foot forward at Collingwood and things didn't work out for me.
"The circumstances changed for Heath as well and hopefully him coming up here gives him a fresh start.
"He's a better player than I am, he really is an unbelievable player, and he's going to take that club forward and put them on his back and they'll win games, I've got no doubt about it."
The younger Shaw is already making an impact at the Giants.
At training they now use the 'Shawry drill', a two-sided handball game he introduced from his Collingwood days that helps teach the defensive principles of pressing up on the ball.
He has been living with Rhyce in Sydney's eastern suburbs, but is moving out this week with young teammates Jonathon Patton and Stephen Coniglio.
"He's moving out on Wednesday, thank God," Rhyce joked.
But Rhyce has no doubt the Giants will get enormous reward for their five-year investment in his brother.
"I missed a lot of footy at Collingwood, but then I had a great run when I came to Sydney (he missed two games in his first four years as a Swan)," he said.
"I can see him doing the same thing.
"I think it's the sun up here."
Twitter: @AFL_JD
