Rhyce Shaw Biography

Stuart Dew reveals how his close relationship with Rhyce Shaw helped facilitate a move for the former North Melbourne coach to Gold Coast during the pre-season.

"When 'Shawry' finished with North, I'd been in contact with him a lot, purely from a support and friendship point of view. It was important from my point of view that number one he was OK and tracking well, and over time that was certainly the case," Dew explained.

"Late December was around when I could sense he had the itch for coaching and that was never going to go. A lot of his talk is around young players, development and how they come into the system and get to where they want to go."

Following his departure as head coach of the Kangaroos, Rhyce Shaw will return to AFL coaching ranks in 2021 after taking on a development role with Gold Coast.

"I am really excited to join the Suns and to play a role in developing the group, both from an on-field and off-field perspective," Shaw said in a club statement.

"It's a great opportunity for me and my family to experience a new city and a new role at a club that is clearly heading in the right direction and I am looking forward to the challenge.

"I've got a great relationship with Stuey (Dew) and I am excited about joining him and the rest of the coaching panel next year and seeing what we can all achieve as a club."

North Melbourne coach Rhyce Shaw takes an extended period away from football.

"Rhyce has asked for some time and space away from football and we have provided him support during this period," Chairman Ben Buckley said.

"We thank the media for their ongoing co-operation and trust they understand we can't make any further comment at this time.

"In the meantime we will forge ahead. From a board perspective, our decision-making centres around one ambition: how we can build a team and a football program that will win our fifth flag."

North Melbourne coach Rhyce Shaw is going the extra mile to help guide his players through the AFL's suspension of the 2020 season (due to the COVID-19 pandemic) by completing the same fitness program as some of his charges.

"I'm always thinking about the players' mindset and putting myself in their shoes because it's so important that we understand our athletes as best we can," Shaw told the club's website on Friday.

"The one thing I've been lucky enough to do is I've got one of the boys' programs from our strength-and-conditioning coach and I've been doing it every day so I kind of get a feel for what the boys are going through."

After speculation that he may have been on the move, Todd Goldstein signs a new three-year deal with North Melbourne to remain at the club until the end of 2022.

Goldstein says Rhyce Shaw's appointment as senior coach of North Melbourne was the catalyst in his decision to sign a three-year deal.

"The club putting Rhyce in quite early definitely helped the conversations, because we could start those conversations a lot earlier," Goldstein said.

"Rhyce has shown a lot of confidence in me and that he did really want me as a player.

"The relationships he's built with the whole group and the whole staff has been unbelievable, that definitely plays a big part in it, and I'm really excited about the young guys that are coming through and where this group could go."

North Melbourne officially appoints Rhyce Shaw as its new senior coach after an eight-game interim stint as caretaker coach of the club.

The Kangaroos insisted that it undertook an exhaustive process in securing Rhyce Shaw as its full-time senior coach, despite him being the only candidate who formally presented to the selection panel.

"Right from the outset, we identified right across the industry a significant number of people who we thought had the capability to do the job," North chairman Ben Buckley said.

"All along that process, we had the opportunity to observe Rhyce in a live situation which I have to say, we're fortunate that we had because it gives us an opportunity to see someone almost presenting week-in, week-out."

Shaw's deal will become a rolling contract after an initial two-year fixed period.

"It probably has happened a little quicker than I expected but I back myself in any situation," Shaw said.

"I've been in the industry for 20 years now and I think I know it pretty well. I'm still learning each and every day and that's the great thing about being a senior coach."

North Melbourne will this week formally interview caretaker coach Rhyce Shaw for its permanent job.

While already impressed beyond their wildest dreams with Shaw's seven-week stint in the interim post, the Roos will subject Shaw to a rigorous process, including intensive psychological vetting.

The Roos will continue to sound out other candidates, but the job is clearly Shaw's to lose as he enters the official interview stage.

Kangaroos interim senior coach Rhyce Shaw still will not be drawn on the prospect of taking the helm at North Melbourne on a permanent basis despite another impressive win in Hobart against St Kilda.

"I really enjoy it and I've said it a lot that I love the opportunity to coach this footy club and they've been fantastic to me," Shaw said.

"I'm really enjoying the day-to-day of being a senior coach and learning every day. I learned something new today and I'm looking forward to the next learning the next day. It's been great, it's been really good."

Rhyce Shaw says he is focused on getting another win for North Melbourne as caretaker coach and isn't too worried about any personal rivalry with his brother, Heath Shaw, who will be playing for GWS.

"I'm very focused on what I need to do and what the boys need to do, and have been locked in and preparing to play a really good team," he said.

"It is [a weird feeling to see his name on the other team]. Not only because he's my brother, but he's a bloody good player. He's done some damage over his time and I certainly hope we put some plans in place so he doesn't do that."

North Melbourne hands Rhyce Shaw the perfect start to his senior coaching career with a 15.9 (99) to 9.8 (62) win against Richmond at Marvel Stadium.

Rhyce Shaw is appointed as caretaker coach of North Melbourne following the departure of Brad Scott.

"I've been given a great opportunity and it's a great honour to be sitting in this role right now, and I'm really looking forward to it," Shaw said.

"I'm certainly going to tweak a few things, in terms of what I do and what I say and how I go about it, but all in all, the gameplan and the way we play and the way we train isn't going to change."

Rhyce Shaw leaves his role as backline coach of Sydney to take up a coaching role with North Melbourne.

"Rhyce will bring a wealth of experience," North football manager Cameron Joyce said.

"He spent his career as a valuable defender and has had the past 12 months with the Swans' back six, so we expect him to transition into the role very smoothly."

When Heath Shaw runs onto Spotless Stadium in the Giants' semi-final showdown with West Coast, he will set a unique League record.

Shaw's 261st match (for Collingwood and GWS), when added to the playing careers of his brother Rhyce Shaw (237, Collingwood/Sydney), father Ray Shaw (146, Collingwood), and uncles Tony Shaw (313, Collingwood) and Neville Shaw (43, Collingwood), makes the Shaw clan the first direct family in VFL/AFL history to reach 1000 matches.

"It's a great achievement for some battlers from the northern suburbs of Melbourne," Heath Shaw joked.

"We've had a fair bit of help from Tony with his 313, but it's a pretty good effort for one family to have five players contribute so many games at the top level.

"I spoke to Rhyce about it this week and he was a bit shocked.

"The Shaw family name has been pretty prominent in football, especially at Collingwood, so to achieve something like this is a special little bonus."

Heath Shaw's 250th game against the Brisbane Lions on Saturday will bring his family one step closer to one of the game's most remarkable records.

The Greater Western Sydney star's milestone keeps the Shaw clan on track to be the first footy family to break the 1000-game mark during this year's finals series, a measure of significance that’s unlikely to be broken.

Heath's uncle Tony Shaw, Collingwood's 1990 premiership captain and Norm Smith medallist, leads the tally with 313 games.

Brother Rhyce Shaw is next with 237 appearances for the Magpies and Sydney, followed by father Ray Shaw, who played 146 times in the black and white, while the boys' uncle Neville Shaw rounds out the group with 43 games for the Pies in the 1980's.

"For one family to play that many games, and have that kind of success is pretty special," Heath said.

"We're all competitive beasts and hate losing, and I think that’s part of the reason we've succeeded at the highest level because we've wanted to get the best out of ourselves and our teammates."

After playing the final game of his AFL career in a semi-final loss to North Melbourne, Rhyce Shaw says moving to the Swans at the end of 2008 was a life-changing moment.

"Coming up here changed my life," Shaw told Channel Seven after his 237th and last AFL match.

"It's been a fantastic journey and I'm really sad that it's come to an end. The body's packed it in and it's a good time (to go out).

"I'll reflect a bit in the next week or so, getting the hugs and kisses from the boys is good for me tonight.

"This club's been a massive part of my life both on and off the field. It's made me a better person. I'm sad to leave."

Rhyce Shaw will retire from the AFL at the end of the year after 16 seasons in the league.

The former Magpies says he's happy to be remembered as part of a great club rather than anything he's achieved individually.

"I'm just an average player who just made the most of it and was very lucky in certain circumstances," Shaw said.

"I probably didn't have a great time at the 'Pies but played in a grand final and came up here and that's probably the best move I've ever made both on and off the field.

"I was playing pretty bad at the Pies, I was very inconsistent and my life wasn't great off the field, I was making poor decisions.

"Coming up here and being part of a footy club that really wrapped their arms around me and bought me into the team and the culture, it's set my life up.

"I think the club as a whole gets the best out of people and I was just one of those guys."

As he prepares to play Hawthorn in the 2014 Grand Final, Rhyce Shaw admits he was pessimistic about his footballing future after rupturing the ACL in his right knee in last year's round 22 clash with Geelong.

"When you're that age, you think 'Is it all over? Have I done the knee really badly'," Shaw said.

"But I was lucky enough that it was pretty clean and the rehab was fantastic and I got back and played some alright footy.

"The footy club has had a really good run this year, we've worked really hard and we're back in the 'big dance'.

"I'm just glad to be in the side."

Rhyce Shaw says he has been too busy trying to overcome a spate of recent injuries to spend much time worrying about his future with the Sydney Swans beyond 2014.

"The last couple of years, obviously being injured, all I've wanted to do is just play footy and take every week as it comes," Shaw said.

"I know it's a cliché, but getting to my age you just want to make sure every game counts and that's what I'm trying to do at the moment."

Rhyce Shaw will play in his 200th game against Brisbane at the Gabba this week.

"The first three or four years I didn't take the game seriously enough and wasn't very professional and did a few things I probably regret," Shaw said.

"That's some of the things I try to preach to our young guys now, you're in AFL football as long as you want to be.

"If you do all the right things now you can play for 10 years.

"I was lucky enough to stay in the system somehow and play in a Grand Final and win a premiership.

"I've been very lucky in that respect and really privileged to be at the Sydney Swans."

Rhyce Shaw says he will be ready to play in round one after fully recovering from LARS surgery on his injured knee.

"The knee is feeling great. I can't speak highly enough of the docs and the physios for getting me back this quick," Shaw said.

"You pretty much walk straight out of hospital (after the LARS surgery) and there's no real recovery period and you get straight into it.

"There's swelling for a couple of weeks, but you just push through that kind of stuff and it's just amazing."

Rhyce Shaw will miss the club's finals campaign after rupturing the ACL in his right knee against Geelong at Simonds Stadium.

"He's had an ACL years ago, but he's had an ACL on the other knee now – which is unfortunate," Sydney coach John Longmire said.

"For a bloke who's had a really difficult year, to come down here and do an ACL in the first 10 minutes was disappointing, and even more disappointing for the rest of the year."

With the retirement of Martin Mattner, Rhyce Shaw is now critical to the Swans' title defence, according to Craig Bolton.

"They're a much more dangerous side when they're not just relying on Nick Malceski," Bolton said.

"(Shaw) is critical. When you've got him and (Malceski) there, and it was the same when Tadhg Kennelly was playing and Marty, it becomes very hard for the opposition to stop.

"Obviously with the absence of Marty now, it's important they get Rhyce back fit and firing as soon as possible."

Rhyce Shaw's father, former Collingwood skipper Ray, says his son will turn to coaching when his playing days are over.

"The way they're talking about him, the coaches and the football staff, I'd be very surprised if we see him for a while," Ray Shaw said.

"They're putting him through a coaching course at the moment, so I think they're pretty keen to get him involved in that. Everything's going really well for him up there."

Tadgh Kennelly says he is glad to be back at the Swans and is looking forward to working in tandem with Rhyce Shaw and Nick Malceski.

"Obviously it will be great to have Rhyce Shaw and Nick Malceski up and going ... it gives one of us the opportunity to go into the midfield or half forward," he said.

"I'm sure there will be a rotation policy that will happen and it's something that the club was looking forward to last year before I made the decision to leave. Obviously we can look forward to doing it now in 2010."

Kennelly also believes he'll be a better player following his time in Ireland.

"I owe the Swans a lot and feel I'll be a much better player because I don't have that drawcard of going back to Ireland any more," Kennelly said.

"I feel that weight is off my shoulders. I feel like I can now express myself a lot more."

Sydney elevates Rhyce Shaw into the club's leadership group for 2010.

"Rhyce has been terrific. He finished second in our best and fairest, but the days are gone when you just get in the leadership group just for finishing first, second, third or fourth," Sydney coach Paul Roos said.

"His impact around the club has been really positive. He is working really hard, he is training really hard, so he brought a lot to the club which has been terrific."

Former Magpie Rhyce Shaw will face his old side Collingwood at the MCG for the first time since becoming a Swan.

"It's going to be interesting. The first time coming back there as a non-Collingwood player is going to be very weird. It was my home for so long and I played so many games there," he said.

"I don't really see it as that much of a big deal, to be honest. I'm just going out there to play against another side. I know it's Collingwood, I know there's going to be a bit attached to it, but for me it's just another game where we've got to try and win the four points, and I've got to do my best for the Sydney Swans.

"It challenging, but definitely not daunting."

Rhyce Shaw says the move from Collingwood to the Sydney Swans was the best decision he's made in his football career.

"It was pretty hard living in Melbourne, I don't think I really coped with it that well. To come up here, the change of environment has been really helpful for me and my footy," he said.

"It's been really good for me, not only as a footballer but as a person as well, to get out on my own and really experience things by myself.

"I do miss my family and my little brother. That's probably been the hardest thing about moving but in terms of football, it's been really good for me and really positive moving up here.

"I've got the confidence of the coaching staff and the players, which is something that I've worked really hard for and hopefully I can continue this year."

Brothers Heath and Rhyce Shaw will play against each other on Saturday night for the first time in their careers.

"It was pretty much a dream of ours to play together and I do miss it," Rhyce said.

"He's always been my little brother and I've never played against him in anything. It's going to be weird going up against him and all my old mates down at Collingwood but I'm really looking forward to the challenge.

"Before the game, he's my brother and after the game, he's my brother but out on the field, he's another player."

New Swan Rhyce Shaw says he's yet to fully come to terms with his move to the Harbour City.

The start of the season proper may be a month away, but Nick Malceski has already formed a bond with recruit Rhyce Shaw.

Rhys Shaw will make his debut for the Swans alongside former Canadian rugby union player Mike Pyke against Port Adelaide on Sunday.

Alan Didak and Heath Shaw are suspended for the rest of the 2008 season for lying about their involvement in a car accident.

Rhyce Shaw, brother of Heath Shaw, is also suspended for two matches as he was drinking over the weekend while injured.

"The Collingwood Football Club has suspended both Heath Shaw and Alan Didak for the rest of the 2008 season as a result of the fact they lied to the club about a drink-driving incident that occurred on Sunday night," the Collingwood Football Club said in a statement.

"These suspensions both include the home-and-away portion of the season and potential finals matches.

"As a repeat offender, Alan has been fined $5000 while the original fine to Heath of $10,000 remains.

"As part of the club's further investigations, it was established that Rhyce Shaw, while injured, was drinking over that weekend, and as a result he has been suspended for two matches and fined $5000.