IT WAS the moment the Magpies showed that they were up and about with a vengeance for the grand final replay.

The Pies had pushed out to a 14-point lead. The Saints were yet to score. The clock had just ticked into the red time in the first quarter.

St Kilda captain Nick Riewoldt was charging towards goal after a quick break, on his own and closing quickly on the goal square.

Out of nowhere came Pies' backman Heath Shaw - a player not renowned for his pace - who desperately threw himself at Riewoldt's feet and stopped the Saints from scoring their first goal of the match.

"That set the tone really early. I've seen him do it once before in another game but just to see it in this game was a great effort," Shaw's teammate Alan Toovey said afterwards.

"It really, really slowed them up and it lifted all of us to see an effort like that so early on. It was very important."

Shaw chased Riewoldt out of guilt, having allowed his direct opponent of Adam Schneider to collect the ball and get it to their potent goal-kicker. 

"I had to do something. I just thought, 'I'm not going to die wondering; I might as well have a crack at him'," Shaw said.

"I ended up affecting his kick and I was very surprised. I ran there thinking I was just going to watch it go over the line but he turned and I tried to blindside him ... I think little things like that maybe spurred the team on a bit."

Shaw said he had given his premiership medal to father Ray, who missed out on four opportunities to win one of his own.

He said the importance of family had been made all the more important by what the Magpies had been through over the past week.

"You're either with Collingwood or against them, so we're a pretty tight family," he said.

"Dad missed out on a fair few, my brother Rhyce missed out on one, so to get over the line, it’s as much for them as it is for anyone.

"I'm just rapt I could do it for everyone and especially them."