It speaks volumes for what Sydney have done for Rhyce Shaw’s AFL career that the heart of his father, former Collingwood skipper Ray Shaw, will lean towards the Swans on Friday night.

If Sydney beat Collingwood in the ANZ Stadium preliminary final, Shaw’s younger son Heath will be denied a shot at a second flag to go with his 2010 Magpies premiership.

But 30-year-old Rhyce will have a chance at his first, to cap his personal success story since leaving the Magpies – where his family has a rich history – at the end of 2008.

“When you win one (grand final) it’s there forever,” Ray Shaw told AAP on Thursday.

“Heath’s been down that road, in 2010.

“Rhyce has played in one and hasn’t been able to bring the cup home.

“Inside me it says that I hope the Swans win and can go on to the grand final and do well.

“But the other side of me, considering I played for Collingwood, a little bit inside of me also says the Pies.”

Ray Shaw’s brother Tony is the Magpies’ games record-holder and 1990 premiership captain, while their younger brother Neville also represented Collingwood.

But Shaw could could not speak more glowingly of Rhyce’s move to the Swans.

He said the respect Sydney showed their players explained their great success with experienced recruits, such as Brownlow Medal fancy Josh Kennedy, All Australian backman Ted Richards and ex-Geelong ruckman Shane Mumford.

“Since Rhyce has gone to Sydney, he’s a happy footballer, the respect everyone has got for him is just enormous,” Shaw said.

“The way people talk about him in Sydney has been overwhelming really.

“Some of the administrators and also the players believe he’s a bit like the Pied Piper, the young and the old come to him when they’ve got problems.

“He’s been runner-up in the best and fairest two out of three years.

“To do that you’ve got to be enjoying your footy.”

Regardless of who wins on Friday night, Hawthorn are heavily favoured to beat Adelaide the following night then win the grand final.

But Shaw says his own experience with Collingwood, which included the 1977 drawn grand final, taught him that premiership deciders don’t follow scripts.

“Grand finals are funny things,” he said.

“I played in five of them and I always thought we were a real good chance but unfortunately I never brought anything home.”

He predicts a tense, defensive struggle on Friday night.

Either way, he expects his two sons, who are close mates, to embrace wholeheartedly post-match.

And while there will be mixed feelings, Shaw says a grand final family face-off would have been worse, given the greater emotional gulf.

“Honestly mate, it would be very hard next week if they were in the grand final,” Shaw said.