Ray Shaw Biography

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."