FOUR years ago, Angus Brayshaw was drafted by Melbourne at No.3 in the 2014 NAB AFL Draft.
And while he’s now preparing for his fourth AFL season, the 21-year-old is heavily invested in Friday night’s Draft, given his brother Andrew is certain to be drafted and his other sibling Hamish is also in the mix.
Andrew Brayshaw could be selected as early as No.1, while Hamish is aiming for an opportunity after injury interrupted his draft chances last year, as Angus explained.
“Andrew is the one everyone knows about. He’s done really well this year and he’s under-18 and looks like he’s going to go somewhere,” he told melbournefc.com.au.
“Hamish is under-19 and had a bit of trouble with his foot last year and he’s shown a lot of resilience and had another crack this year.
“Hopefully, there are a couple more Brayshaws running around in the AFL next year. It’s an exciting time for them, because I’ve seen all of the work they’ve done and I just hope the best for them.”
Although Brayshaw would love to play with his brothers, he’s also happy to test them out in opposition colours.
“It’d be nice to finally put the hurt on them for real, without Mum stopping it. She can’t really do much when you’re out on the footy field,” he said with a laugh.
“It’d be pretty cool to play with them, but at the same time, there is a lot of competition in the Brayshaw house.
“Hopefully we can get a couple of them at the Demons, in red and blue – that’d be nice. But whatever happens, I just hope they get an opportunity and I’m just really excited for them.”
Either way, Brayshaw said the siblings would continue their now annual Christmas Day event of completing 100 by 100-metre sprints.
“We’re all in Vietnam this year, so that’ll continue,” he said.
“But it’s just a little thing we’ve got going – I can’t even remember how long ago it was now that we started doing it. It’ll just keep going.
“It’s tough and usually pretty hot, but it’s good fun and we just get it done, and we enjoy the rest of our Christmas.”
Now back into pre-season training, Brayshaw said he was rapt to be back after a refreshing break.
“I went up and saw my older brother, who lives in Brisbane, so I got up there and went to Byron Bay with him. Other than that, I kept it pretty low-key,” he said.
“I did a bit of training with Jonesy (Nathan Jones) – he lives around the corner from me, so I saw a fair bit of him.
“[I] chilled and had my uni exams, which I just ticked off, so I was homebound for most of it, but it was good to relax.”
After a tough 2017, marred by concussion problems, Brayshaw said he wasn’t experiencing any lingering issues.
“I’m fit and healthy now – touch wood. It’s pretty low contact at the moment, which is good for my head,” he said with a smile.
“I’m worry free, fit and healthy, and I just want to get stuck into it. It’s come around pretty quick and hopefully games come around even quicker. I know it’s next year, but I’m just really excited to start and get back into it.
“It’s great to be back and seeing everyone. The last month, before you’re back at training, you’re doing it pretty hard by yourself. It’s probably a bit easier when you’re doing it with all of your teammates.”
