Shaw’s unique road to the 300 club at Giants
WHEN former Test cricketer Simon Katich landed a gig at the Giants back in 2013 he was warned about the club’s other newest recruit, Heath Shaw.
Former Australian spinner and Collingwood tragic Michael Beer texted Katich to say, “Good luck running messages out to Shawy”.
But while Shane Warne or Steve Waugh might have been most people’s cricket pin-up, Beer hadn’t counted on the fact that Shaw’s favourite cricketer of all time was in fact, Katich himself.
“When I found out Shawy had said I was his favourite player, I was able to tell Beery, ‘it won’t be a problem, mate!”
A year later when Shaw was knocked out by a stray Kurt Tippett boot, he fronted his comeback press conference wearing Katich’s old Perth Scorchers helmet.
As Shaw, 33, said himself at his 300-game milestone press conference earlier this week, “nothing is ever in a straight line with me. It’s always a little bit curved.”
No.1 prankster, No.1 Katich aficionado and according to Giants chief executive David Matthews, the No.1 coup in GWS history. And the Giants have Lance Franklin to thank.
“His first game for us was the first game we beat the Sydney Swans and he’s arguably the most important trade we’ve ever executed,” said Matthews ahead of tonight’s trip to Port Adelaide.
“That sits alongside our ability to secure Shane Mumford. They’re both here as a consequence of missing out on Franklin.
“He came to our club at a time when we absolutely needed him.”