Angus Brayshaw
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Angus Brayshaw (born 9 January 1996) is a former professional
Australian rules football Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an Australian rules football playing field, oval field, often a modified ...
er who played for the
Melbourne Football Club The Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed the Demons or colloquially the Dees, is a professional Australian rules football club based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's premier comp ...
in the
Australian Football League The Australian Football League (AFL) is the pre-eminent professional sports, professional competition of Australian rules football. It was originally named the Victorian Football League (VFL) and was founded in 1896 as a breakaway competition ...
(AFL). A
midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in t ...
, tall and weighing , Brayshaw was a capable contributor as both an
inside Inside may refer to: Film * ''Inside'' (1996 film), an American television film directed by Arthur Penn and starring Eric Stoltz * ''Inside'' (2002 film), a Canadian prison drama film * ''Inside'' (2006 film), an American thriller film starri ...
and
outside Outside or Outsides may refer to: * Wilderness Books and magazines * ''Outside'', a book by Marguerite Duras * ''Outside'' (magazine), an outdoors magazine Film, theatre and TV * Outside TV (formerly RSN Television), a television network * '' ...
midfielder. He has strong family connections in Australian sport, with his father, Mark Brayshaw, a former player and the current AFL Coaches' Association Chief Executive Officer; his uncle James Brayshaw a former state cricketer, former North Melbourne chairman, and a sports media personality; and his paternal grandfather, Ian Brayshaw, a former state cricketer and footballer with the Claremont Football Club. His younger brother,
Andrew Andrew is the English form of the given name, common in many countries. The word is derived from the , ''Andreas'', itself related to ''aner/andros'', "man" (as opposed to "woman"), thus meaning "manly" and, as consequence, "brave", "strong", "c ...
, plays for and his other younger brother, Hamish, used to play for but now plays for in the
West Australian Football League The West Australian Football League (WAFL "waffle" or "W-A-F-L") is an Australian rules football league based in Perth, Western Australia. The league currently consists of ten teams, which play each other in a 20-round season usually lasting f ...
(WAFL). Brayshaw played top-level football early when he played in the
TAC Cup The Talent League (also known as the Coates Talent League under naming rights and previously as the NAB League and TAC Cup) is an under-19 Australian rules football representative competition based in Melbourne and run by the Australian Foot ...
for the Sandringham Dragons as a bottom-aged player, in addition to representing Victoria at under-16 level, and continued to represent the state which culminated in selection for Vic Metro in the 2014 AFL Under 18 Championships. His achievements at junior level included the
most valuable player In team sports, a most valuable player (MVP) award is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particular competition, or ...
award at state level, the best-on-ground academy player, and selection in the All-Australian team and TAC Cup team of the year. He was recruited by Melbourne with the third overall selection in the 2014 AFL draft and he made his debut during the 2015 season, resulting in a fifth-place finish in the AFL Rising Star award. After a nearly decade-long career spanning 167 games, a third-place finish in the 2018 Brownlow Medal, as well as a premiership win in
2021 Like the year 2020, 2021 was also heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, due to the emergence of multiple Variants of SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19 variants. The major global rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, which began at the end of 2020, continued ...
, Brayshaw was forced into early retirement in February 2024 due to the ongoing effects of concussion.


Early life

Brayshaw was born to
Mark Mark may refer to: In the Bible * Mark the Evangelist (5–68), traditionally ascribed author of the Gospel of Mark * Gospel of Mark, one of the four canonical gospels and one of the three synoptic gospels Currencies * Mark (currency), a currenc ...
and Debra Brayshaw in
Western Australia Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Aust ...
. He was born into a sporting family with his paternal grandfather, Ian, representing
Western Australia Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Aust ...
in cricket and is a premiership player with Western Australian Football League club Claremont. His uncle James played first-class cricket for Western Australia and
South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a States and territories of Australia, state in the southern central part of Australia. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories by area, which in ...
, and his father played 32 matches for the
North Melbourne Football Club The North Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed the Kangaroos or colloquially the Roos, is a professional Australian rules football club. The men's team competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), and the women's team in the AFL Women's (AF ...
. Brayshaw attended
Haileybury College Haileybury is a co-educational public school (fee-charging boarding and day school for 11- to 18-year-olds) located in Hertford Heath, Hertfordshire. It is a member of the Rugby Group and enrols pupils at the 11+, 13+ and 16+ stages of edu ...
and played his junior football with the Hampton Rovers Football Club. He was recognised as an elite talent at a young age when he received a scholarship with the
Australian Institute of Sport The Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) is a high performance sports training institution in Australia. The institute's headquarters were opened in 1981 and are situated in the northern suburb of Bruce, Canberra. The AIS is a division of the ...
through the AIS-AFL Academy as part of their level one squad in the 2012 intake. In the same year, he was selected to play with Vic Metro in the under-16 championships and was awarded the
most valuable player In team sports, a most valuable player (MVP) award is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particular competition, or ...
for Vic Metro. He played five matches as a bottom-aged player in the
TAC Cup The Talent League (also known as the Coates Talent League under naming rights and previously as the NAB League and TAC Cup) is an under-19 Australian rules football representative competition based in Melbourne and run by the Australian Foot ...
for the Sandringham Dragons in 2013 and after being ineligible for the 2013 AFL draft by missing the age cut-off date by nine days, Brayshaw spent 2014 competing in junior competitions and studying a double degree in
commerce Commerce is the organized Complex system, system of activities, functions, procedures and institutions that directly or indirectly contribute to the smooth, unhindered large-scale exchange (distribution through Financial transaction, transactiona ...
and
engineering Engineering is the practice of using natural science, mathematics, and the engineering design process to Problem solving#Engineering, solve problems within technology, increase efficiency and productivity, and improve Systems engineering, s ...
at
Monash University Monash University () is a public university, public research university based in Melbourne, Victoria (state), Victoria, Australia. Named after World War I general Sir John Monash, it was founded in 1958 and is the second oldest university in the ...
. He was selected as part of the level two squad in the 2013 intake for the AIS-AFL Academy and travelled to
Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...
for two weeks in April 2014 with a 31-man squad. At the start of the tour, Brayshaw was awarded the MCC Chairman's Medal as the best academy player after competing in a match against 's
Victorian Football League The Victorian Football League (VFL) is an Australian rules football competition in Australia operated by the Australian Football League (AFL) as a second-tier, regional, semi-professional competition. It includes teams from clubs based in east ...
(VFL) side at the
Melbourne Cricket Ground The Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), also known locally as the 'G, is a sports stadium located in Yarra Park, Melbourne, Victoria. Founded and managed by the Melbourne Cricket Club, it is the largest stadium in the Southern Hemisphere, the Lis ...
. Playing for the Sandringham Dragons in the TAC Cup in 2014, Brayshaw was regarded as one of the top draft prospects for the 2014 AFL draft and was appointed captain of Sandringham. He earned mid-year state honours through selection for Vic Metro in the Under 18 Championships and was rewarded with All-Australian selection as a half-back flanker. In addition, his efforts in the TAC Cup saw him secure a spot in the team of the year as a ruck-rover. Brayshaw was highly rated among recruiters in his final junior year and was likened to captain, Joel Selwood, for his "fearless attack on the ball", he was also rated as a potential number one draft pick by AFL national talent manager, Kevin Sheehan. He was appraised as the player who would have the biggest impact in their first season due to his body size and natural leadership.


AFL career

Brayshaw was linked to the
Melbourne Football Club The Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed the Demons or colloquially the Dees, is a professional Australian rules football club based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's premier comp ...
in the weeks leading to the draft and was ultimately recruited by the club with their second selection and third overall in the 2014 national draft. He was predicted to make a Round 1 debut after strong performances with Melbourne's affiliate team, the Casey Scorpions, in
Victorian Football League The Victorian Football League (VFL) is an Australian rules football competition in Australia operated by the Australian Football League (AFL) as a second-tier, regional, semi-professional competition. It includes teams from clubs based in east ...
(VFL) practice matches despite not featuring for Melbourne in the NAB Challenge. He debuted in the 26-point win against at the
Melbourne Cricket Ground The Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), also known locally as the 'G, is a sports stadium located in Yarra Park, Melbourne, Victoria. Founded and managed by the Melbourne Cricket Club, it is the largest stadium in the Southern Hemisphere, the Lis ...
in Round 1 and laid a match-high nine tackles before being substituted off in the fourth quarter. After a string of consistent performances, he was awarded the Round 10 nomination for the Rising Star for his efforts in the annual Queen's Birthday Clash against , in which he recorded eighteen disposals, six tackles, seven inside-50s, four goal assists, and a goal. His performance was praised by former Melbourne captain Garry Lyon, and he predicted that Brayshaw would be a "200-gamer and leader of the Demons." Brayshaw missed only one match during his debut season due to being rested against at Domain Stadium in Round 22. His season was acclaimed within the AFL industry, particularly his mid-season form, where his tenacity and desperation around the ball was highlighted with comparisons to Joel Selwood, in addition to former captain, Jonathan Brown, commending his toughness. He was noted as an equal favourite for the Rising Star, alongside midfielder Patrick Cripps, by ''
Herald Sun The ''Herald Sun'' is a Conservatism, conservative daily tabloid newspaper based in Melbourne, Australia, published by The Herald and Weekly Times, a subsidiary of News Corp Australia, itself a subsidiary of the American Rupert Murdoch, Murd ...
'' chief football writer, Mark Robinson, after his performance against in Round 12. He ultimately finished fifth in the award after a drop in form in the second half of the season. He was recognised among his peers by finishing second in the
AFL Players Association The AFL Players Association (AFLPA, also simply known as AFL Players) is the representative body for all current and past professional Australian Football League (AFL) and AFL Women's (AFLW) players. The AFLPA promotes and protects its member ...
best first year player award, behind midfielder, Isaac Heeney; furthermore, he finished eleventh in Melbourne's
best and fairest In Australian sport, the best and fairest award recognises the player(s) adjudged to have had the best performance in a game or over a season for a given sporting club or competition. The awards are sometimes dependent on not receiving a suspensi ...
count. Brayshaw was highly rated by the AFL players heading into the 2016 season, whereby he was named the second-best player in the league recruited from the 2014 and 2015 drafts. In the opening match of the 2016 NAB Challenge against , he injured his knee five seconds into the match after a tackle from Port Adelaide midfielder Hamish Hartlett, and the injury forced him to miss the remainder of the pre-season competition. In a bid to play in the Round 1 match against , he played for Casey in a VFL practice match, where he recorded 17 disposals and a goal. He ultimately missed the Round 1 win against Greater Western Sydney and played his first AFL match for the season in Round 2 in the 13-point loss against at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, where he recorded nine disposals. He was omitted the next week for the match against at Blundstone Arena due to looking "tired". Brayshaw returned the next week and played in the Round 4 and 5 wins against Collingwood and , in which he garnered fifteen and nine disposals, respectively, before being dropped again for the Round 6 match against at Etihad Stadium. The same weekend in the VFL match against , he sustained a
concussion A concussion, also known as a mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), is a head injury that temporarily affects brain functioning. Symptoms may include headache, dizziness, difficulty with thinking and concentration, sleep disturbances, a brief ...
after a football kicked by teammate, Alex Neal-Bullen, hit him in the back of the head. Two weeks later, he suffered a second concussion when he had a head clash in the VFL match against and he was placed on the sidelines for an "extended period of time". He played his first match in four weeks when he played for Casey against , where he accumulated twenty-nine disposals and kicked two goals. He returned to the senior side in the thirty-six point loss against at Etihad Stadium in Round 17 in which he recorded twenty-three disposals and seven clearances. He played the remainder of the season and finished with ten matches in total for the season, which saw him fall to twenty-third in Melbourne's best and fairest count. Brayshaw had a reduced workload in the 2017 pre-season after injuring his calf in January and played the first two matches of the AFL season before he was omitted from the senior side for the Round 3 match against Geelong at Etihad Stadium. AFL Media reporter, Ben Guthrie, noted the calf injury was a key reason for his slow start to the season and he was yet to live up to his potential due to persistent injuries throughout his early career. Former Melbourne coach, Paul Roos, noted that although the public hadn't seen Brayshaw's best yet, he was Melbourne's most exciting prospect for 2017. In late April playing in the VFL, he received his third concussion in twelve months after receiving a bump from North Ballarat player, Hayden Walters. There were suggestions by the media that the multiple concussions in a short period of time would prematurely end his AFL career, however, these claims were quickly dismissed by Melbourne with head of football, Josh Mahoney, saying it was only a minor concussion. Brayshaw missed three weeks of football and in his return match in the VFL against the , he was concussed again when he was bumped by Carlton listed player, Jed Lamb. With the club saying they would "map out a plan" to ensure he could play consistent football without the risk of concussion, reports emerged that the club had granted him indefinite leave to recover from his fourth concussion in twelve months. He was training two days after the reports emerged, with senior coach, Simon Goodwin, stating the reports of indefinite leave were inaccurate but Brayshaw would not return to playing for a while. He missed nine weeks of football before returning in the VFL Round 14 match against , wearing a helmet after receiving advice from former St Kilda player Nathan Burke, who received multiple bumps during his career. He returned to the AFL for the twenty-four point win against St Kilda in Round 21 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground; in the first quarter, he received a heavy bump from Koby Stevens; however, he was uninjured from the collision. Former player and a commentator during the match, Jason Dunstall, noted all the commentators were worried straight after the bump, but Brayshaw recovered and "used the ball well and made good decisions. unstallthought it was a fantastic fight back from when we had our heart in our mouths" and he was named in Melbourne's best players by AFL Media, the ''Herald Sun'' and ''
The Age ''The Age'' is a daily newspaper in Melbourne, Australia, that has been published since 1854. Owned and published by Nine Entertainment, ''The Age'' primarily serves Victoria (Australia), Victoria, but copies also sell in Tasmania, the Austral ...
''. He played the remainder of the season and finished with five AFL matches. Brayshaw's performances during the
2018 AFL season The 2018 AFL season was the 122nd season of the Australian Football League (AFL), the highest level senior men's Australian rules football competition in Australia, which was known as the Victorian Football League until 1989. The season feature ...
showed the competition what he is capable of, averaging a career-high 26.1 disposals and kicking 14 goals for the season, with the Demons having vastly improved season, eventually making the preliminary final. Brayshaw's 2018 season was highlighted with a 37-disposal, 3-goal game against the Adelaide Crows in Round 10 as well as a career-high of 39 disposals and a goal the next week. His season was capped off with a 3rd-place finish in the 2018 Brownlow medal, polling 21 votes. In 2021, Brayshaw played in Melbourne's premiership winning team, as Melbourne broke a 57 year premiership drought with a 74 point victory over the
Western Bulldogs The Western Bulldogs are a professional Australian rules football club based in the Melbourne suburb of Footscray. The club competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's premier competition. Originally named the Footscray F ...
in the
2021 AFL Grand Final The 2021 AFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football match contested between and the at Perth Stadium, Optus Stadium in Perth, Western Australia, on Saturday 25 September 2021. It was the 126th annual AFL Grand Final, grand final of the ...
at
Perth Stadium Perth Stadium, commercially known as Optus Stadium due to sponsorship reasons, is a multi-purpose stadium in the Burswood, Western Australia, Burswood suburb of Perth, Western Australia. It was completed during late 2017 and officially opened ...
. In the 2023 Qualifying Final, Brayshaw was concussed after being struck in the head in an attempted smother by Collingwood player Brayden Maynard. Brayshaw was substituted off immediately and was unable to play in the Demons' semi-final the following week; while Maynard was referred to the AFL Tribunal and ultimately cleared, causing controversy. It was Brayshaw's last game: after training with the club through the subsequent preseason, he retired two weeks prior to the start of the 2024 season due to his ongoing concussion issues.


Statistics

, - ,
2015 2015 was designated by the United Nations as: * International Year of Light * International Year of Soil __TOC__ Events January * January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...
, , , , 10 , 21 , , 5 , , 3 , , 170 , , 97 , , 267 , , 54 , , 99 , , 0.2 , , 0.1 , , 8.1 , , 4.6 , , 12.7 , , 2.6 , , 4.7 , , 0 , - ,
2016 2016 was designated as: * International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly. * International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...
, , , , 10 , 10 , , 7 , , 2 , , 83 , , 93 , , 176 , , 30 , , 42 , , 0.7 , , 0.2 , , 8.3 , , 9.3 , , 17.6 , , 3.0 , , 4.2 , , 0 , - ,
2017 2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly. Events January * January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...
, , , , 10 , 5 , , 2 , , 1 , , 53 , , 42 , , 95 , , 28 , , 12 , , 0.4 , , 0.2 , , 10.6 , , 8.4 , , 19.0 , , 5.6 , , 2.4 , , 0 , - ,
2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...
, , , , 10 , 22 , , 14 , , 10 , , 322 , , 252 , , 574 , , 108 , , 99 , , 0.6 , , 0.5 , , 14.6 , , 11.5 , , 26.1 , , 4.9 , , 4.5 , , 21 , - ,
2019 This was the year in which the first known human case of COVID-19 was documented, preceding COVID-19 pandemic, the pandemic which was declared by the World Health Organization the following year. Up to that point, 2019 had been described as ...
, , , , 10 , 22 , , 9 , , 7 , , 278 , , 209 , , 487 , , 87 , , 96 , , 0.4 , , 0.3 , , 12.6 , , 9.5 , , 22.1 , , 4.0 , , 4.4 , , 0 , - ,
2020 The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...
, , , , 10 , 14 , , 5 , , 6 , , 116 , , 117 , , 233 , , 40 , , 41 , , 0.4 , , 0.4 , , 8.3 , , 8.4 , , 16.6 , , 2.9 , , 2.9 , , 1 , - , scope=row bgcolor=F0E68C ,
2021 Like the year 2020, 2021 was also heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, due to the emergence of multiple Variants of SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19 variants. The major global rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, which began at the end of 2020, continued ...
# , , , , 10 , 25 , , 3 , , 7 , , 274 , , 186 , , 460 , , 105 , , 61 , , 0.1 , , 0.3 , , 11.0 , , 7.4 , , 18.4 , , 4.2 , , 2.4 , , 0 , - ,
2022 The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...
, , , , 10 , 24 , , 2 , , 1 , , 401 , , 211 , , 612 , , 170 , , 54 , , 0.1 , , 0.0 , , 16.7 , , 8.8 , , 25.5 , , 7.1 , , 2.3 , , 7 , - ,
2023 Catastrophic natural disasters in 2023 included the Lists of 21st-century earthquakes, 5th-deadliest earthquake of the 21st century 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes, striking Turkey and Syria, leaving up to 62,000 people dead; Cyclone Freddy ...
, , , , 10 , 24 , , 2 , , 5 , , 279 , , 269 , , 548 , , 93 , , 79 , , 0.1 , , 0.2 , , 11.6 , , 11.2 , , 22.8 , , 3.9 , , 3.3 , , 4 , - class=sortbottom ! colspan=3 , Career ! 167 !! 49 !! 42 !! 1976 !! 1477 !! 3453 !! 715 !! 583 !! 0.3 !! 0.3 !! 11.8 !! 8.8 !! 20.7 !! 4.3 !! 3.5 !! 33 Notes


Honours and achievements

Team * AFL premiership player ():
2021 Like the year 2020, 2021 was also heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, due to the emergence of multiple Variants of SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19 variants. The major global rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, which began at the end of 2020, continued ...
*
McClelland Trophy The McClelland Trophy is an Australian rules football club championship trophy, awarded each year to the club with the best aggregate performance across the Australian Football League (AFL) and AFL Women's (AFLW) seasons. The trophy was inaugur ...
():
2021 Like the year 2020, 2021 was also heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, due to the emergence of multiple Variants of SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19 variants. The major global rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, which began at the end of 2020, continued ...
Individual * 22under22 team: 2018 * AFL Rising Star nominee: 2015 (Round 10)


References


External links

* * *
Angus Brayshaw's profile
from Demonwiki {{DEFAULTSORT:Brayshaw, Angus 1996 births Living people Melbourne Football Club players Sandringham Dragons players Australian rules footballers from Victoria (state) People educated at Haileybury (Melbourne) Casey Demons players Melbourne Football Club premiership players VFL/AFL premiership players People from the City of Bayside 21st-century Australian sportsmen