37 Facts About Angus Brayshaw

Angus Brayshaw was born on 9 January 1996 and is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played for the Melbourne Football Club in the Australian Football League.

Angus Brayshaw has strong family connections in Australian sport, with his father, Mark Brayshaw, a former North Melbourne 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.

Angus Brayshaw played top-level football early when he played in the TAC Cup 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.

Angus Brayshaw 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.

Angus Brayshaw was born to Mark and Debra Angus Brayshaw in Western Australia.

Angus Brayshaw was born into a sporting family with his paternal grandfather, Ian, representing Western Australia in cricket and is a premiership player with Western Australian Football League club Claremont.

Angus Brayshaw attended Haileybury College and played his junior football with the Hampton Rovers Football Club.

Angus Brayshaw was recognised as an elite talent at a young age when he received a scholarship with the Australian Institute of Sport through the AIS-AFL Academy as part of their level one squad in the 2012 intake.

Angus Brayshaw played five matches as a bottom-aged player in the TAC Cup 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 and engineering at Monash University.

Angus Brayshaw was selected as part of the level two squad in the 2013 intake for the AIS-AFL Academy and travelled to Europe for two weeks in April 2014 with a 31-man squad.

At the start of the tour, Angus Brayshaw was awarded the MCC Chairman's Medal as the best academy player after competing in a match against Collingwood's Victorian Football League side at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

Angus Brayshaw 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.

Angus Brayshaw was highly rated among recruiters in his final junior year and was likened to Geelong captain, Joel Selwood, for his "fearless attack on the ball", he was rated as a potential number one draft pick by AFL national talent manager, Kevin Sheehan.

Angus Brayshaw was appraised as the player who would have the biggest impact in their first season due to his body size and natural leadership.

Angus Brayshaw was linked to the Melbourne Football Club 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.

Angus Brayshaw was predicted to make a Round 1 debut after strong performances with Melbourne's affiliate team, the Casey Scorpions, in Victorian Football League practice matches despite not featuring for Melbourne in the NAB Challenge.

Angus Brayshaw debuted in the 26-point win against Gold Coast at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Round 1 and laid a match-high nine tackles before being substituted off in the fourth quarter.

Angus Brayshaw missed only one match during his debut season due to being rested against Fremantle at Domain Stadium in Round 22.

Angus Brayshaw's 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 Brisbane Lions captain, Jonathan Brown, commending his toughness.

Angus Brayshaw was noted as an equal favourite for the Rising Star, alongside Carlton midfielder Patrick Cripps, by Herald Sun chief football writer, Mark Robinson, after his performance against Geelong in Round 12.

Angus Brayshaw ultimately finished fifth in the award after a drop in form in the second half of the season.

Angus Brayshaw was recognised among his peers by finishing second in the AFL Players Association best first year player award, behind Sydney midfielder, Isaac Heeney; furthermore, he finished eleventh in Melbourne's best and fairest count.

Angus 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.

Angus Brayshaw 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 Essendon at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, where he recorded nine disposals.

Angus Brayshaw was omitted the next week for the match against North Melbourne at Blundstone Arena due to looking "tired".

Angus Brayshaw returned the next week and played in the Round 4 and 5 wins against Collingwood and Richmond, in which he garnered fifteen and nine disposals, respectively, before being dropped again for the Round 6 match against St Kilda at Etihad Stadium.

Angus Brayshaw played his first match in four weeks when he played for Casey against North Ballarat, where he accumulated twenty-nine disposals and kicked two goals.

Angus Brayshaw returned to the senior side in the thirty-six point loss against St Kilda at Etihad Stadium in Round 17 in which he recorded twenty-three disposals and seven clearances.

Angus Brayshaw 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.

Angus 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.

Angus Brayshaw missed three weeks of football and in his return match in the VFL against the Northern Blues, he was concussed again when he was bumped by Carlton listed player, Jed Lamb.

Angus Brayshaw 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.

Angus Brayshaw missed nine weeks of football before returning in the VFL Round 14 match against Essendon, wearing a helmet after receiving advice from former St Kilda player Nathan Burke, who received multiple bumps during his career.

Angus Brayshaw 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.

Angus Brayshaw played the remainder of the season and finished with five AFL matches.

Angus Brayshaw's season was capped off with a 3rd-place finish in the 2018 Brownlow medal, polling 21 votes.

In 2021, Angus 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 in the 2021 AFL Grand Final at Perth Stadium.