Heath Shaw has revealed he was "shocked and upset" when Collingwood told him he would be trade bait.
The Magpies 2010 premiership defender was last week traded to Greater Western Sydney in exchange for promising GIANTS midfielder Taylor Adams.
Shaw, who signed a lucrative five-year deal with the AFL's newest franchise, also admitted that his AFL career would likely have been over within two years if he had remained at Collingwood.
"I told them (Collingwood) I wanted to stay and they said they wanted to trade me," the 27-year-old told News Limited.
"I was pretty shocked and upset at that time.
"After it was done I didn't really want to speak to anyone, I went off-line for a few days just to take it all in.
"The process wasn't the greatest process to go through but now that it's done and dusted I'm really excited about the challenge ahead. I'm looking forward to getting to Sydney and getting stuck in to pre-season.
"The GIANTS have given me the opportunity to go somewhere else to re-energise and spend five years with a team that is up and coming, developing and improving and that's the exciting thing about going to GWS.
"Hopefully this year there's an improvement on last year and we keep developing over the next few years.??
"I want to improve and get better as a footballer, I want to improve on this season where I was solid without being great," Shaw said. ?
Shaw has spoken at length to GIANTS coach Leon Cameron about the role he sees the 10-year veteran playing both on and off the field to help develop the young GIANTS.
"Selfishly I want to play some good footy and go up the ground and get amongst it and he's (Cameron) more than happy about that.??
"I've had some good conversations with Leon about how that will happen.??
"Being an older statesman I have to push my team mates on the training track and push myself.
"Hopefully they jump on board and they can get some experience off me and learn what it takes to get to that top level which is a premiership. It takes a long time and a lot of hard work."
Shaw revealed he initially felt anger towards Magpies coach Nathan Buckley.
"Bucks has got a direction that he wants the club to go in. He wasn't my favourite person when the decision was made to trade me," Shaw said.
"He knows what he wants to do and to be honest I'm happy that the decision has been made. He sent me a message after the deal was done and I replied to it. It was pretty hard, I didn't ever think I would be in that situation.
"To be honest it's the best thing for me and it's the best thing for Collingwood. I'm always going to love the club and its people. My best mates have come from Collingwood and I've still got plenty there.
"I can't say a bad word against Collingwood because they gave me the opportunity. I won a premiership there with a great bunch of blokes and I'll always be able to share that."
