In his fortnightly exclusive column on collingwoodfc.com.au, Victorian squad member Heath Shaw discusses what it will be like to be a part of Saturday night’s historic Hall of Fame Tribute Match between Victoria and the Dream Team at the MCG.

I found out on Monday that I had been selected to the 30-man Victorian squad for Saturday night’s match at the MCG, and it was an enormous thrill.

This may be an opportunity that only rolls around once in my career, so I’ll absolutely jump at the chance to wear the famous ‘Big V’ if I’m part of the final team of 25.

Having now spent a couple of days with the other squad members, it’s really sinking in just how good it will be to be part of this match.

On Wednesday the Victorian players and coaches got together for the first time, and it looks like being a special team with Chris Judd, Matthew Scarlett, Brad Johnson, Jimmy Bartel and Jonathan Brown in the squad.

We had a team dinner on Wednesday night at a restaurant at Crown, where coach Mark Thompson, assistant coach Kevin Sheedy and captain Jonathan Brown all spoke, and each emphasised how this is likely to be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for our generation of players.

Brown, who is under an injury cloud but is clearly desperate to play, said when he was first asked to captain the side he accepted straight away.  

The dinner was a great chance to get to know the guys a little better, and it seems like a really good group of blokes.

On Thursday we pulled on the jumper for the first time and had a training session at the MCG, which in a way was very weird. I'm wearing number 22 as number 39 was unavailable.

Not only was it strange wearing navy blue and not training with Collingwood, but just being around these guys felt very surreal.


Even though you know all the guys from playing against them and watching them on television, it’s completely different when you’re participating in drills, running alongside them in the same jumper and calling for the footy.

Because I didn’t know most of their nicknames I wasn’t really sure what to call them, which was quite funny, but it was good to get used to each player’s unique style.

It was good having my Collingwood team mates Josh Fraser and Scott Pendlebury there to experience it with me, but we didn’t stick together too much, as it was important to mix with the group and we all felt pretty comfortable anyway.



The standard of the session was exceptional, and as you’d expect from the 30 best players in the state, it was quick, sharp and there weren’t too many mistakes.

To put the talent on display in context, it was pointed out to us that there were three Brownlow Medallists, 18 All Australians and 16 premiership players.


One player who really stood out for me was Adam Goodes. The Sydney star is a big man, but he just glides across the ground and looked sensational.

After the session we held a team meeting where Mark Thompson and his assistants went through some game plan details, just so we’re not running around like headless chooks on Saturday night.


We have another training session on Friday at the MCG, and after that I’ll find out if I’m in the team.


Adding to the significance for me is the opportunity to follow in the footsteps of my father, Ray, who represented Victoria three times.

I really hope I do get the opportunity to wear the ‘Big V’, it should be an awesome experience.

Scott Pendlebury's column 'Pendles' Prose' will appear next week on collingwoodfc.com.au. Read Scott's column from last week, 'An ANZAC Day in the life of Scott Pendlebury', by CLICKING HERE.