Toast Heath Shaw

[Boris the Contradiction]

Have seen the Grand Finals multiple times and he was our best player across the 2 games combined........EASILY!

The lack of appreciation for his games has me dumbfounded. He put in two fantastic 4 quarter efforts and he was nothing short of inspirational in the second half of the draw. His third quarter was epic and the biggest contribution to us not being overrun completely.

He was in our best 2 players in the draw (with Thomas) and in our best two in the rematch (with Sidebottom).

GUN!!

 

[Gambit78]

shaw was terrific. but i'm not game to pick a best because so many players would be worthy. what i am grateful for, however, is that shaw gave us a highlight to rival Leo Barry's grand final mark of 2005. like tom harley said, 'one of the best bits of play ever'.

 

[sloth6]

Dale Thomas

 

[Kirby]

Yes, he was brilliant and his games have been a little underappreciated I think.

 

[Pie eyed]

I think you could make the argument for a couple of players to be BOG over the 2 games. Thomas just shades Heater for mine if you're counting the 8 quarters as a single game.
To be honest the more I watch the replay the more difficult it is to pick a single player, which is exactly why we have a big silver cup.
Solid, even performance from all.

 

[lgarth80]

Have seen the Grand Finals multiple times and he was our best player across the 2 games combined........EASILY!

The lack of appreciation for his games has me dumbfounded. He put in two fantastic 4 quarter efforts and he was nothing short of inspirational in the second half of the draw. His third quarter was epic and the biggest contribution to us not being overrun completely.

He was in our best 2 players in the draw (with Thomas) and in our best two in the rematch (with Sidebottom).

GUN!!

The moment after the draw, I twittered Heath and said he was the reason why we were playing again the next week. Clear thinking, quality decisions throughout the game, particularly when the heat came on in the second half.

Very solid in the replay.

I'd also prefer not to assess and say total bests, for reasons other posters have indicated, but certainly Shaw's performance was in the top 5.

Shaw is one of the absolute stars of the Collingwood team, and it's great that the other players have taken much of the pressure off him and let him slowly continue developing to the stage where a tag does not bother him any more.

Let's think about it, if he played at Geelong with their team of champions, he'd be regarded as highly as Enright. High praise indeed.

Look for him to be a sensational running wingman floating back in future years.

 

[OniAu]

was awesome, definitely one of the few that stood up in the first grand final and kept us in it, along with a solid second game , he was definitely in the best for over the 2 games.

sidey,shaw,daisy and jolly probably the most consistent lot over the 2 games for us

does go underated shawy though when it comes to the rest of the competition, he is rarely beaten in 1 on 1 and provides a lot of rebound.

i just love our backline, clement wakes and presti started the tradtion of a solid defense with giving each other a chop out, its been passed on to maxy shawy and harry and so on hopefully to browny reid and tooves.

 

[The_cockateil]

Part of a unit that played effectively and superbly. Should have manufactured 20 Norm smith medals, only Beams had a quiet game really.

 

[Swanny36]

I reckon Daisy was our best across the two Grand Finals..
Head and shoulders above anyone else really, though Maxy and Heater both had outstanding last quarters in the draw.

 

[Snag Breac]

YES! We need more toast threads to give them each their due. Heath was superb. He and Didak has now fully acquitted their debt to the club by being a very major part of our first premiership win this millennium.

 

[Boris the Contradiction]

Dale Thomas

I reckon Daisy was our best across the two Grand Finals..
Head and shoulders above anyone else really, though Maxy and Heater both had outstanding last quarters in the draw.

Thomas was only marginally better than Shaw in the first Grand Final.
Shaw was clearly better than Thomas in the second.

It's all subjective and you could make a case for either but I find it bewildering that he has received next to no praise. The bloke's a freak and he played the whole year with a back injury. His Grand Finals were immense.

The moment after the draw, I twittered Heath and said he was the reason why we were playing again the next week. Clear thinking, quality decisions throughout the game, particularly when the heat came on in the second half.

Very solid in the replay.

I'd also prefer not to assess and say total bests, for reasons other posters have indicated, but certainly Shaw's performance was in the top 5.

Shaw is one of the absolute stars of the Collingwood team, and it's great that the other players have taken much of the pressure off him and let him slowly continue developing to the stage where a tag does not bother him any more.

Let's think about it, if he played at Geelong with their team of champions, he'd be regarded as highly as Enright. High praise indeed.

Look for him to be a sensational running wingman floating back in future years.

I agree with everything you said, especially the bolded.
Very underrated player is Heath and very underrated were his Grand Final performances.

 

[gravy1]

shaw was terrific. but i'm not game to pick a best because so many players would be worthy. what i am grateful for, however, is that shaw gave us a highlight to rival Leo Barry's grand final mark of 2005. like tom harley said, 'one of the best bits of play ever'.

actually tom harley said it was the best bit of play he'd ever seen

 

[Gambit78]

actually tom harley said it was the best bit of play he'd ever seen

aww, come on, a little embellishment never hurt anyone...we are the premiers after all!

 

[mattys123]

YES! We need more toast threads to give them each their due. Heath was superb.

I wonder how many players have had individual toast threads since the GF replay win, I'd say at least 10, if not more.

And as for Heater, the "story" behind his path to glory was just as great as the 2 games in the played in the Grand Finals.

To come from the famous family, and then have the learning problems (ADHD?) and then to have a few off field events take the focus off his football, shows what he had to deal with to get to be an elite footballer.

When you watch the DVD of the post match presentation, it's amazing how many "top or elite" players we have at our club now, and that our team, more then any other this year just looked and sounds like a premiership team when you read the names out.

Heater's always been one of my favs, and now he's a premiership player.

 

[yazdo]

H. Shaw = GUN (SON OF A GUN)

 

[Markfs]

I remember watching Heath in his first game and thinking he was going to be a very good player. I dont think I saw Shaw or Thomas beaten in a marking contest in the grand finals..

 

[Pera]

My top five ranked in order over both GF's:

5 - D. Thomas
4 - S. Sidebottom
3 - H.Shaw
2 - N. Brown
1 - B. Johnson

Heath was definitely fantastic but think Daisy's game in GF1 was alot better than Shaws. 4 quarter game where as Shaws was a half of football! He did save us on quite a few occasions though.

No doubt was brilliant but would have Sidebottom and Thomas ahead marginally!