ANGUS Brayshaw established himself as one of the game’s most versatile players in 2022, filling any role required for the Demons.
The 26-year-old trained as a wingman over the summer, but after an injury to Christian Salem in Round 1, he quickly found himself in defence.
Come Round 20, just days after declaring his future with the club, a void opened in Melbourne’s midfield and the No.10 was turned to again.
Brayshaw was rewarded for his efforts at the end of the year, being selected in the All-Australian squad, before claiming the Dees’ leadership award and finishing fifth in the best and fairest award.
The numbers
For the opening 19 weeks of the season, Brayshaw averaged a league-high eight marks per game, before racking up the fourth most disposals in the competition in the last four home and away games.
Disposals: 25.5 per game
Effective disposals: 70.6 percent
Marks: 7 per game
Rebound 50s: 3.6 per game
Inside 50s: 2.9 per game
A highlight
A Round 3 clash with the Bombers saw Brayshaw announce himself as a defender.
Along with his 34 disposals, Brayshaw took a whopping 20 marks at half-back, falling just one mark shy of the VFL/AFL record for most marks in a single game.
Brayshaw also earned three Brownlow votes on a night that set-up a big season in the red and blue.
Best outing
There was never any doubt that Brayshaw was capable of being a ball-winning midfielder, but his Round 22 performance in a tight win over the Blues showed just how valuable he can be.
Amassing a season-high 38 touches (19 contested) and 12 clearances, he polled another three Brownlow votes and cemented his spot in the centre.
A quote
Brayshaw on his future with the club:
“I believe in the vision and want to be a part of it, so for the next six years, I guess I'll just be looking forward to making up for lost time at the start of my career where we were losing and hopefully we can just keep winning games.”
List Manager Tim Lamb on Brayshaw’s contract extension:
“The great thing is Angus still has enormous growth in his game and we are excited about what he will produce in the future.”
Something social
Set to become a Free Agent at the end of 2022, there was plenty of talk about Brayshaw’s future throughout the early-part of the season.
But when he signed a six-year extension with the club he calls home, Melbourne fans rejoiced.
