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PHOTO GALLERY > Collingwood v Adelaide

COLLINGWOOD midfielder Rhyce Shaw believes he has been reinvented as a player this season after coach Mick Malthouse gave him a creative licence to venture out of the backline.

Shaw, 26, said it's been "fantastic" to have been assigned his new role of a hard-running midfielder this season, and considers himself somewhat rejuvenated after nearly 10 years at Collingwood.

"I don't know if I've improved, but it's about confidence within myself and getting out and giving it my all," Shaw told collingwoodfc.com.au, after the Pies' 32-point win over Adelaide on Saturday.

"Playing in the midfield has really helped as well. I'm not stuck in the backline like I have been in previous years, and I've been able to run the ball and get as far as I can up the field, and even have shots on goal.

"You've got to take it when it comes. I've been in the system for nine years now and I've only played nearly 90 games. I should have played 200; all the boys I got drafted with have played 160, 170 games.

"You've just got to take the opportunity and hopefully I'm doing that now and providing some run for the team."

Shaw, who ran with Crow Scott Thompson for the majority of Saturday's match, picked up 32 possessions and was the Pies' most prolific ball-winner.

But, he believes such numbers don't tell the true story and didn't warrant his performance as one of his best for the season.

"It was one of those games where you get lots of touches, but it was one of those games where the ball's pretty scrappy when you get rid of it," he said.

"A lot of my disposal was to one on ones, which we want anyway, but it tended to go out of bounds and hit the ground.

"It wasn't pretty, but the touches were good and it was a good team effort.

"It's always going to be a high possession game against Adelaide. They always get a lot of the pill and so do we, but we wanted to use it more effectively and we did that.”

Shaw said he had to improve on his endurance over this year's summer months as he looked forward to his new responsibility as a member of the Pies' engine room.

"You have to work pretty hard. Pre-season is always hard but you have to lift your intensity," he said.

"It's not about how far you can run; it's about how hard you can run.