Heath Shaw maintained a daily blog during the 2009 finals campaign published on Collingwoodfc.com.au.

Saturday 19 September - Season finished
It's not the way we wanted to finish the season.  We worked so hard to get to this point.  I thought we had our chances in the first half but we were unable to keep up the momentum in the third term.

What will I take out of this season?  Not sure yet.  I know we played several young guys who will benefit from this finals campaign.  It's going to be exciting to watch Steele Sidebottom, Dayne Beams and Brent Macaffer next year. 

Thanks for following my blog this finals campaign.  Let's go one further in 2010.

Friday 18 September - Gosch's Paddock session
We held our Friday training session at Gosch’s Paddock which lasted just under an hour.  It was amazing to see half of the oval lined with supporters.   Every time we kicked a goal during the session (sometimes I wish I wasn’t a defender!) the crowd erupted.

I felt the boys were really tuned in and focused.

The rest of the afternoon was very quiet.  I will watch the St Kilda v Western Bulldogs game tonight. 

Tomorrow I will tune in to a bit of the VFL preliminary before heading over to the MCG. 

I really can't wait.

Thursday 17 September - Low key
Today was a very low key day.  Popped into the club for an early massage session and then was off to the Starlight Children’s Foundation Australia.  I have been working with the organisation for some time now and they invited me over for lunch to meet some of their friends.

It’s always a tough experience visiting ill and hospitalised children. They always surprise me how strong they are even when they are up against the toughest of obstacles.

Tomorrow it’s the final session for the week.  Hopefully the sun is out and the supporters attend!

Wednesday 16 September - MCG hit out
We had a great hit out at the MCG today.  There were positive signs from Pendles, Beamsy and Fraser practicing.

The boys have fully recovered from Saturday night’s win and everyone is ready to get into it.

After training I headed out to Chapel St to buy a new pair of shorts because the sun is finally out!

Tomorrow we have a light day and then finish off with a Friday training session at Gosch’s Paddock.

Tuesday 15 September - Four more sleeps
Quiet day at the club.  Went in early for a massage and a little bit more recovery.

It is extremely beneficial to have our recovery so close to the MCG.  Within an hour of the end of the match on Saturday we were in ice baths at the Lexus Centre.

The rest of the day I spent at home catching up on sleep and watching a few flicks.

Four more sleeps.

Monday 14 September - Divisional
Today we held our divisional meetings in the morning.  The main thing we discussed was the importance of starting the upcoming match strongly.  Our defensive coach Mark Neeld was pleased with the way we were able to nullify Adelaide’s attack in the third term.

We also addressed our sluggish start against the Crows and we all took something away which will see us improve this weekend. 

After the meeting I headed home to clean the house.  From there it was on to the Royal Children’s Hospital to visit a young Magpie supporter. 

Sunday 13 September - Time to get up
We had a brief recovery session at the Lexus Centre. Most of the boys pulled up really well which is a great sign. 

I addressed the media after the session.  Everyone is asking about the chances of Pendles and Fraser getting up for Saturday.  It would be great if they are there.

Saturday 12 September - We did it
As a player you experience a game like tonight differently than a supporter.  As a player you don't get that sick feeling when Tippett scored with 15 seconds left, you just want to do as much as you can to get the ball down your end.

You stay focused and determined.  We did that when we had to and it will be a game I will always remember.

For the players we have to move on to next week against Geelong.  For the supporters, well, you can enjoy the win!

Friday 11 September - One more day to go
Today we had our final training session at Gosch’s Paddock in extreme wind.  The sun was out and there were a few hundred supporters so the atmosphere was great.

It was a very light session just to get the legs and touch up before tomorrow night.

After the session I had lunch with Dids, Swanny and Johnno.  It’s fair to say we are all looking forward to tomorrow.  Can’t wait.  See you all there.


Thursday 10 September - Day off
Today was a very quiet day.  I headed into the club for a massage by Rohan, our head trainer.  Headed back home to watch  'Man on Fire' with Denzel Washington. 

Nothing inspires me more than watching Denzel do his thing.

Can’t wait to run out on Saturday.  Training tomorrow at Gosch's and then it's game time.

Wednesday 9 September - Main session
Similar to last week, we held our main training session at the MCG.  It proved to be a really good session.  It’s great to see some of the younger boys train on the ground.  Players like Lachlan Keeffe and Scott Reed get the chance to preview what kicking the footy on the ‘G is all about.

When we headed back to the Lexus Centre, Scott Pendlebury had arrived.  He is a very resilient person and he told me he expects to be back out there later this month. 

Tomorrow I have the day off before our final session at Gosch’s Paddock on Friday.  Make sure you head down to the open session and support the guys.

Tuesday 8 September - Back to it
Had a meeting with the defensive group in the morning.  I found it was very productive. 

Mark Neeld (defensive coach) has been great with us this season in pointing out our deficiencies as a group and with each individual.  Today was no different.

Body is almost back to normal.

Monday 7 September - Getting up
Most of the boys were in early today.  Everyone wanted to get a strong recovery session in and quickly move on to the task at hand.

You might be wondering about the spirit of the group, well it’s really strong.  We all took something out of the St Kilda clash which will spur us on to playing Adelaide on Saturday.

It's tough to lose Scotty, we know how much this finals campaign means to him.  Hopefully we can get him back this season.

As I wrote yesterday, we are very confident in our abilities as a playing group.  The great thing about footy is you get the opportunity to respond on a big stage. 

After the session I went home to rest for a few hours before heading to Mum and Dad’s place for dinner. 

Until tomorrow. 

Sunday 6 September - We will respond
Disappointing performance by the boys today.  Little bit sore after the match but my head is already looking forward to the Crows.

The short break means we won’t have to wait as long to respond from today’s game.

We will respond.  The side this year has shown it can stand up to the challenge.
In footy you have the ability to make amends the following week and we will have the chance next Saturday night.

Can’t wait.

Saturday 5 September - Focused and determined
I was very impressed with Adelaide’s performance last night.  The way they dismantled Essendon proved they are a force in the finals. 

Great session at Gosch’s Paddock today with the rest of the boys.  There was a bit of a crowd in force and it definitely felt like a finals weekend.  It was encouraging to see everyone’s skills were sharp and focused.  I can’t wait to run out on the MCG tomorrow.

This is what it’s all about.  You spend your whole career with finals footy as a main goal and now it has arrived.

I caught the VFL match on TV in the afternoon.  What a great win by the guys!  It’s important to have a selection of players playing competitive football at this stage of the year in case they are called upon to play in the seniors.

Tonight will be very low key spent in front of the tube watching Brisbane and Carlton go at it.

Friday 4 September - Suit up
I woke up this morning (Rhyce woke me up) to have breaky with him and my manager.  My manager and I catch up every so often and he wanted to see how I was traveling ahead of finals.  After scoffing down a few eggs it was literally on to lunch with Dids.  If you have been reading my blog since the start of the month you would come to realise that Dids and I are very close mates.

Lunch soon turned into the afternoon with the objective to find Rhyce a suit for the Brownlow night.  He picked up a stylish number on Bridge Road and then we headed to Mum and Dad’s place to shop in their pantry.

Picked up a few goodies and headed back home with a quiet night ahead.  Training tomorrow at Gosch’s so need my rest.

Thursday 3 September - Family Ties
We trained at the MCG which was a nice change to Gosch's Paddock.  The boys looked fresh and sharp and we are all looking forward to Sunday.

In the afternoon I had to pick up a new phone with my old one dying yesterday.  I was thinking of the iPhone but I have had a few bad experiences with touch screens so I went a Nokia.

Tonight I am catching up with my brother Rhyce, who is town for a few days.  Now that his season is over he has elected to come back to Melbourne for a few days to give me some support during finals.

Wednesday 2 September - Lunch time
Last night I fell asleep to the movie ‘The Dark Knight’.  It reminds me of last year’s end of year celebrations because I dressed up as Heath Ledger’s character, The Joker.

Dids and I traveled together to the club where I proceeded to have a massage and a session in the altitude room.  The first part of the week is all about getting my body up for the upcoming game.

Then my favourite part of the day comes…lunch.After exhausting myself during lunch (I eat a lot) I proceeded to my second favourite part of the day which is NAP TIME.  I generally set aside an hour for an uninterrupted sleep.Tonight I am going to support my housemate’s girlfriend play netball.  After meeting several of the Melbourne Vixens this year (I went to the grand final last month), I have a new found appreciation for the sport.As I am currently single, it’s also not a bad place to meet a prospective lady friend!

Tuesday 1 September - Divisonals
After a lighter day yesterday continuing on the recovering recovery trend, I headed into the club fairly early to work with the defensive group.

We worked on some light touch with the footy and then reviewed the game. It was good to discuss the previous game and potential match ups this week.

After the meeting I headed out with Dids for a quick lunch.

It was then Groundhog day in the afternoon knocking off for a short kip.

Monday 31 August - Recovery
Last night was a disappointing loss. We didn’t play our best footy.

After the game, like we have done in previous years, the entire playing group including coaching staff congregated for a pre-finals function. It was really good to have a chat with the boys and the coaches to reflect on the season we have had and how we will tackle this year’s finals campaign.

This morning I was at the Lexus Centre for a recovery session. The ground at Etihad Stadium is a little bit harder than the MCG so my body pulled up fairly sore. I spent the session in the ice baths and on the massage table.

I never can sleep well after the game so I went home and crashed for a few hours before watching the recent Indiana Jones movie, ‘The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull’. Looking forward to getting stuck in it tomorrow!