Acting Fremantle captain David Mundy said his first thoughts were with Andrew Brayshaw and his family after Brayshaw was felled well off the ball during Fremantle’s clash with West Coast at Optus Stadium on Sunday.
The up-and-coming Fremantle star was one of Freo’s best on ground until a punch off the ball from Andrew Gaff resulted in Brayshaw being taken to hospital with a broken jaw and four displaced teeth.
Tensions clearly rose after the incident but Mundy said his thoughts were only on the welfare of his young teammate.
“I just hope Andrew’s okay and his family are well supported by the club,” Mundy told 6PR post-game.
“Being from Melbourne, most of them are a long way away, they might be under a little bit of distress as well.
“My immediate gut reaction and emotion is care for Andrew and his family.”
Mundy said Ross Lyon wanted the players to stand up for their injured teammate without taking it too far.
“The game was getting quite heated and it felt like to me the umpires were really trying to take control of the game with a lot of free kicks,” Mundy said.
“Ross was really measured and just wanted us to stand our ground without going over the top and making the ball our priority.
“We can push and shove as much as we like but at the end of the day it’s much harder to put your head over the ball or go back with the flight. That was the message coming down from Ross.”
