Having started junior football as a fifteen year old with junior club Winnacott, Shaw would play in a premiership and swiftly be scooped up to play development football with South Fremantle.
Winnacott only lost one game that year and for Shaw there was no better induction to the game that to win a flag in his first competitive season.
“I started playing football pretty late ... only played one year at Winnacott in the U15s,” he told portadelaidefc.com.au.
“I was fortunate enough that we went through the season and only lost one game and won the flag.
“Winning was an unbelievable feeling even though it was only at juniors.”
It was a good foundation to start his career.
Swiftly embedded into South Fremantle’s junior talent squad program, Shaw rose through the ranks to play in Western Australia’s U18 national championship side last year.
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It was a remarkable achievement in many ways, Shaw having suffered a fractured cheekbone during a pre-season trial for South Fremantle earlier in the year.
The injury, whilst debilitating, served an important role in teaching the young forward of the importance of injury rehabilitation.
He believes it will keep him in good stead for another year of learning at Port Adelaide.
“I went through the South Fremantle program after Winnacott and could immediately tell the difference in professionalism,” reflected Shaw.
“The AFL mentality kicked in when I came to understand it’s not just about playing on the park that’s important to being an elite footballer.
“It was the cheekbone [injury] that opened my eyes in terms of injury rehabilitation ... it was almost a blessing in disguise.
“Being opened up to injuries that early on – obviously it was a long term injury – I was in a privileged position to be exposed to other players with long term injuries and learn from it.”
His return was lauded as he went on to kick several swags of goals in both WA and South Fremantle colours.
It culminated with a standout five goal performance in that year’s WAFL colts grand final.
While he would taste the euphoria of grand final success again, Shaw’s cautious return to football from that cheekbone injury was one of a more mature player.
For Shaw, the intensity of that grand final is the closest environment to an AFL game he could have experienced, the rehabilitation process one most similar to that at the elite level.
“Coming back from that was pretty shaky at the start, just trying to get back into the flow of things,” he explains.
“In the grand final it’s just a different ball game, the intensity’s up there and even though it wasn’t at AFL or even senior level, you can tell the difference [between a final and normal game].
“Just striving to play well is almost an added pressure: ‘I’ve really got to do this for my team.’”
With those experiences behind him, Shaw is perhaps one of the most advantaged draftees to come to Port Adelaide in recent times.
Now 19-years-old, he has set about building his credentials at AFL level.
Tall in stature and considered a powerful key forward option pre-draft, Shaw will learn under forwards coach Garry Hocking and develop alongside Port’s experienced tall goalkickers Jay Schulz and Justin Westhoff.
As he has quickly learned, AFL football is incredibly demanding and while he is enthused by the opportunity to prove himself throughout the course of 2013, he is under no illusion that the path ahead is tough.
“It’s quite a big step up,” Shaw says, straightforward.
“I think the biggest thing to get used to is being here from 8 in the morning to 5 in the afternoon – it’s really my first full time job.
“It’s taxing physically, mentally but I absolutely love it, the opportunity the club’s given to me.”
The demanding physical nature of the pre-season has raised the bar for all players returning to Alberton for season 2013.
But Shaw says there has been little leeway afforded to the new recruits and all six draftees to the club have been forced to jump straight into the fire of an intense training regimen run by fitness head Darren Burgess and senior coach Ken Hinkley.
“It’s right up high, especially in the intensity,” Shaw says of his early impressions of training with the Power.
“Obviously I wasn’t here last year but everyone understands with Ken coming in that every spot is up for grabs.
“You don’t see the older players taking their foot off the pedal, you don’t see younger players trying to find their way.
“Everyone’s going full hammer.”
Shaw explains that Hinkley is focussed on daily improvement this pre-season.
His focus on making the little things work at training has educated players on the standards expected if one is to represent Port Adelaide.
And because Hinkley’s ‘non-negotiables’ impact the whole team, Shaw says it has made his settlement into life at the club easier.
“The intensity is focussed on making improvements every day and Kenny’s real big on doing the little things well and I think coming to the club and this professional environment has really helped me. “Everyone’s doing this together, making improvements together.
“Only 22 can play each week but you’d feel 100% confident that any player coming in is going to do his job for the team.
“That intensity at the end of last season has really helped me coming into the AFL system and it’s the most similar thing to what I’ve experienced in this AFL environment.”
While Shaw has had an impressive early life in football, he is keeping an open-mind when it comes to his prospects as an AFL player.
He simply wishes to take small steps en-route to his goal of an AFL debut and with senior players helping him along that path, is sure to have the best opportunity to lay that foundation.
“There’s going to be a big focus on me developing and being a longer term prospect I think.”
“It’s as much about developing off the field and learning the structures as it is about competition on it.
“I understand that at some point I may be asked to help in the ruck so it’s important I don’t have the tunnel vision that I’ll only be a tall forward and keep an open mind about my career at this stage.
“Being such a young player to go in and say I’m going to play every game this season because in reality I know it’s a bit out of my reach but this year I just want to soak in everything I can.
“Everyone’s been through what I’m going through now.
“I suppose if you try and get as much as you can out of them, question them, learn about the mistakes they made, all of their experiences – they’re such helpful things to have with you.
“It’s about making little steps every day toward being the best player I can be.”
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