Shiels was still a high school student when he joined the Hawks; as a result, Hawthorn needed to obtain special dispensation from Shiels' high school in order to enable him to train during periods where training clashed with his afternoon classes.

[citation needed] Shiels and Josh Gibson were the only Hawthorn players to play every game in 2011.

[4] During Hawthorn's poor start to the 2017 season, Shiels instigated an assessment that the club was not playing satisfactorily.

[6] Shiels was widely regarded as having performed well as vice-captain and player during the 2017 season, registering a personal record for number of clearances per game.

[8] Shiels, along with Smith was replaced as Co-Vice-Captain prior to the 2019 season with Jack Gunston, though he remained part of the leadership group.