Closure as Gaff makes apology
WEST Coast midfielder Andrew Gaff has apologised to Andrew Brayshaw in person — even bringing flowers for mum to sweeten the deal.
Gaff was handed an eightmatch ban for breaking the jaw of Fremantle youngster Brayshaw in a fiery western derby.
Brayshaw will be unable to eat solid food for the next few weeks, and will require further dental work to address issues with his mangled teeth. The 18year-old is staying with his parents in Melbourne during the early stages of his recovery.
Brayshaw’s mum Debra was in tears during the western derby after seeing the horrific damage Gaff’s punch caused.
So in a touching gesture, Gaff brought along a bunch of flowers as a gift to Debra when he visited her son at the Brayshaw household last week.
“Mum was at work, so it was just him and Andrew Brayshaw sitting there,” Melbourne Demons star Angus Brayshaw said of the meeting.
“They had a chat for 30 minutes, and (Gaff) apologised.
“I can only imagine what it would be like to be punched in the face, what mentally that would do to you.. So for (Andrrew) to accept that apology, I think it’s a really good step forward. Probably it closes the whole ordeal. “It’s been forgiven.” Meanwhile, the elder Brayshaw is confident the Demons can overcome the loss of star forward Jesse Hogan to qualify for the finals. Hogan is out for the rest of the season after suffering a partial stress fracture to the navicular bone.
The Demons (12-8) sit in APOLOGY: Eagle Andrew Gaff seventh spot, but they could miss the finals if they lose to West Coast (away) and GWS (home) in the next two weeks. “As crazy as this might sound, we love this position we’re in where people are counting us out,” Brayshaw told the AFL Exchange podcast. “Our backs are against the wall, people are counting us out, but we feel like we’ve put ourselves in a position to play finals and we’re really excited by that.”
Hogan hopes the injury has been picked up early enough to prevent it from becoming a serious threat to his career.
“It’s just a crack so it’s not disastrous. It didn’t crack all the way through, thankfully,” he told reporters on Tuesday.
“I think the club has been able to deal with a fair few of them. The fact that we caught mine early is a good sign and ruling the season out, it gives us that bit of extra time.
“There’s no real time-frame to rush back in.”
Melbourne fitness boss Dave Misson said he expected Hogan to be available for the start of pre-season training.
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