Gary Shaw
Collingwood and Brisbane Bears
AFL career
38 games38 goals
- Debut
- R1 1983 v MEL26 Mar 1983
- Most recent
- R12 1987 v HAW14 June 1987
Stats
Bio
A highly touted talent from Queensland who established himself as a star in the WAFL with Claremont, Gary Shaw is best remembered as the centrepiece of one of the 1980s' most aggressive recruiting wars. After winning a premiership and a Simpson Medal in the West, he was lured to Collingwood in 1983 for an astronomical transfer fee that reportedly exceeded $300,000—a record sum that placed immense pressure on his shoulders. While he possessed electric pace and elite skills as a rover, Shaw struggled to live up to the lofty expectations at Victoria Park, with persistent groin and leg injuries robbing him of his signature speed. He managed only fleeting glimpses of his true potential for the Magpies before joining the Brisbane Bears for their inaugural season in 1987. Intended as a marquee homecoming, his stint in Queensland was cut short by further physical setbacks, leaving his VFL career as a "what if" story defined by the era's chequebook recruiting.
Profile
- Born
- 13 Feb 1959 (age 67y 250d)
- Height
- 173 cm
- Weight
- 73 kg
Teams
Bio
1 revisionA highly touted talent from Queensland who established himself as a star in the WAFL with Claremont, Gary Shaw is best remembered as the centrepiece of one of the 1980s' most aggressive recruiting wars. After winning a premiership and a Simpson Medal in the West, he was lured to Collingwood in 1983 for an astronomical transfer fee that reportedly exceeded $300,000—a record sum that placed immense pressure on his shoulders. While he possessed electric pace and elite skills as a rover, Shaw struggled to live up to the lofty expectations at Victoria Park, with persistent groin and leg injuries robbing him of his signature speed. He managed only fleeting glimpses of his true potential for the Magpies before joining the Brisbane Bears for their inaugural season in 1987. Intended as a marquee homecoming, his stint in Queensland was cut short by further physical setbacks, leaving his VFL career as a "what if" story defined by the era's chequebook recruiting.