WHEN you first walk into Rhyce Shaw's office at Gold Coast HQ, you're likely to be handed a puzzle.

Today, it's a snow globe with a golf tee, upon which you're meant to settle a floating ball. It's a seemingly impossible task, and the new AFLW head coach has a gleeful smile on his face as he passes it over the desk.

"Solve that," he says.

It is a small glimpse into Shaw's approach to coaching; throwing out fun challenges to bring others along with him, balancing the science of athletic performance with the art of leading people, something he's learned through his decades of experiences in footy, and as a father to three boys.

"I'm very arty, I love games. We play a lot of games, I'm big on that. It's a good connection piece for me with the girls," Shaw tells AFL.com.au.

"I used to do a lot of drawings. I love making up fun stuff for the girls while we're doing meetings and stuff. It's a big part and my three boys, that's another thing. The girls and the staff have just really embraced my family, my boys.

"They know all the girls, they came in the other day and trained with the girls. They do the water at the intraclub, the girls just treat them like their little brothers. It's really cool to see."

Working as the director of coaching at Gold Coast's talent academy last year, Shaw wasn't convinced he was ready to step back into a head coaching role when the club approached him in December.

Good friend Cameron Joyce had just been moved on from the job following a one-win season, and Shaw's time as North Melbourne's AFL head coach in 2020 had ended abruptly when he stepped away for personal reasons.

So, he turned the offer down and the club continued its search. But come January, his mindset had shifted.

"Having a big think about it over the Christmas break, and (I) spoke to family members, spoke with the old man, and thought it was just too good (an) opportunity to pass up," Shaw says.

"I had a conversation with (Gold Coast CEO) Mark Evans and kind of thrust a few things out and it just evolved from there. It was really cool."

He took up the post, becoming the first person to ever be appointed as a full-time coach of both an AFLW program and an AFL side.

The thing that turned a no to yes was the state of footy in Queensland, something Shaw himself has had a hand in developing with his role at the academy.

In December's Telstra AFLW Draft, the Suns nabbed five of their own academy products, including highly touted No.2 pick Havana Harris, and later this year are expected to do the same.

"The next few years are really, really exciting for us, and Brisbane also. So, it is a different environment now, because I think the expectation is starting to grow and I just think that's really cool," Shaw says, lighting up.

"We've spoken about that as a club, about embracing that, because we're doing a lot of work to produce these players. They're really good, talented players in their own right, but we're really trying to help facilitate that growth and development, and we should embrace that and keep trying to grow as much as we can."

It signals somewhat of a fresh start for the Suns. Shaw in as coach, new co-captains Niamh McLaughlin and Lucy Single leading the players, and the addition of players like Harris and Melbourne games record holder Lily Mithen.

There was also the added bonus of retaining star midfielder Charlie Rowbottom, who despite plenty of interest elsewhere in the trade period, opted to re-sign until the end of the 2026 season.

With all that in mind, Shaw's focus is on rebuilding the program from the ground up.

"What we've tried to do, and I think learning from past experience for myself, is really be patient, really do it properly, build the foundations slowly but surely, with very simple ideas and simple concepts," he says.

"I think that's really worked, and we're really keen to commit to that process. And I've said to the girls, I want to win. I'm a competitor, I want to win every game. Intraclubs, I want to win even though it's both my teams.

"But also understanding that what we are building, it's a big change for everyone. The environment's different, I'm different, I've got different expectations and standards than the previous regime and that's understandable, and everyone's getting used to how we all work and what it all looks like."

The new regime has included early morning runs, another strategy employed by Shaw to get to know his players. "I love running, I love early mornings, so (I) just put it out there and we had a few good mornings in pre-season," he says.

His passion for footy has always been his key driver and the reason he was first in the door each morning during his days at North Melbourne. But finding the sweet spot between dedication to the job and the game, and his family and personal wellbeing is something being on the Gold Coast has offered him.

So, the early mornings are still there, but there's also an obligation to be there for his kids, whether that's school pick-ups, or simply having them around the club.

It helps keep a softness bubbling under Shaw's hard, competitive edge.

"I just love footy. I've tempered that a little bit now because I've got to, I've got to get the balance right," he says.

"But I just love what I do, and this group's been really cool to work with. Every moment of every day there's something different going on. It's exposed me to new ways of doing things."

With the longest AFLW season ever now on the doorstep, there is a clear want to win. But for Shaw, it all comes back to two things.

"The big thing that I just speak about (is) commitment and intensity," Shaw said.

"We've got our ideas and how we want to play, and all that stuff. But if you don't bring that, then you've got no chance."