Almost counted out, Dee on edge of glory
MELBOURNE star Angus Brayshaw says he never imagined he would play in a grand final after concussions threatened to end his career.
Brayshaw, who wears a helmet during matches, is one of the feel good stories of the 2021 grand final, having fought back from a series of worrying head knocks during 2016 and 2017.
He spent months on the sidelines in both seasons.
But Brayshaw is adamant he would not hesitate to sit out such a monumental game if he
thought he was putting his health at risk.
“If I was concussed last week and had a grand final that I was going to miss, you put your health first,” the midfielder said.
“Footy is a game. You’ve got to live with your head. Hopefully I live to 100. That’s 70 more years I’ve got to live.
“This is one outcome and people see me in a grand final and think I’ve come a long way. But don’t put your brain at risk.
“Forget about coming back to play in a grand final and do the best thing for you. That may include giving away football or sport. I was certainly prepared to do that.
“I am so lucky. I could very easily not be playing.”
The AFL removed the prospect of the mandatory 12day break for concussed players robbing anyone of a grand final appearance by adding a bye after the preliminary final this year, but it will become an issue if that is removed.
Brayshaw fought his concussion battle when Melbourne was still experiencing a finals drought.
He said struggling for success had made the team’s rise up the ladder more special.
Between 2013-15 Melbourne drafted Christian Salem, Christian Petracca, Clayton Oliver and Brayshaw with top-10 picks and those players have formed the nucleus for the team’s rise.
“We were all at the bottom together and the bond we made was during hard times,” Brayshaw said.
“We all know that hard times form strong bonds. We’ve had a heap of hardship, a heap of adversity but we went through it together.
“We know what it’s like to go through the worst of the worst. That puts into perspective how good success is.
“But we all know we haven’t achieved anything yet. Nobody remembers minor premiers. We are all very, very driven.”