COLLINGWOOD’S Heath Shaw says Mick Malthouse’s vast experience as a player and a coach means he’s the right man to coach the Magpies.

Shaw’s glowing endorsement of Malthouse came during a joint press conference on Thursday with his brother and former Collingwood teammate Rhyce, who will line up for the Sydney Swans against the Magpies on Saturday night.

“[Mick] is stepping into his 600th game so he’s obviously done something right, to have been at a club for that period of time,” Shaw said.

“He’s been great to me and this is my sixth year. He’s shown a lot of confidence in me and he’s a good coach – it’s as simple as that.

“He’s played in premierships, he’s coached premierships, he’s played in a lot of finals series and that’s what we’re hoping for this year.”

After a strong month leading into the mid-season break, the in-form Magpies are eyeing a fifth straight win on Saturday night against the Swans.

Shaw said a combination of consistent effort and fitter players had kickstarted Collingwood’s season after a shaky start to the year.

“There was a period there where we were playing a few guys that weren’t in the best form, but they were coming back from injury as well and we needed to lift,” he said.

“The last few weeks we’ve been more consistent over the four quarters and we’ve started pretty well. That’s always a bonus, instead of playing catch-up football because that makes it difficult.

“We’re just building confidence and that consistency as well. A lot of people see this game as a stepping stone for us to build for the rest of the year and go into the finals.”

Saturday night’s game has been marked in the Shaw family diary since Rhyce was traded to the Swans last year and Heath said he’d been desperate to ensure he was playing in the game.

“Having a few injuries early in the year, I just wanted to get out on the track. I just wanted to make sure I was playing good football,” he said.

“This game was always going to be a big one for not only me and Rhyce, but our families, so it’s going to be a good challenge,” he said.

And it’s not just the Shaws who have been eagerly anticipating the clash at ANZ Stadium.

“A few of the boys have said they wanted to know who Rhyce was going to play on,” Shaw said.

“I think Dids [Alan Didak] was wondering, and maybe Medders [Paul Medhurst] and Thommo [Dale Thomas], whether he was going to line up on them.

“Rhyce has played with a lot of those guys over a long period of time and he’s got a few good mates there who he keeps in contact with.

“It’s going to be interesting to see but as Rhyce said, that two hours in between those two sirens is about footy and it’s about getting your team over the line.”