Star Fremantle midfielder Andrew Brayshaw is on track to become a career player at Fremantle after signing a four-year contract extension that will see him in the purple until at least the end of the 2025 season.
The deal, which is on top of the one-year remaining in his contract, will see the 21-year-old through to his eighth AFL season.
Drafted at no.2 in the 2017 NAB AFL National Draft, Brayshaw has played 56 games in three seasons and further highlighted his potential with an equal-third most votes in the 2020 Doig Medal.
Brayshaw’s excitement about the deal was less about his own career and more about what he felt the club could achieve.
“We have a really young group who have gelled together over the past couple of years and I think we’re heading in the right direction,” Brayshaw said.
“It’s exciting to see some of the young players stepping up. We’ve got some really good leadership and I think the club’s in a good space at the moment with the (off-field) roles that we’ve filled over the last few years.
“If we can keep this group together and heading in the right direction for the next five years, it’s really exciting about where we could get.
“I can see us pushing towards finals and, ultimately, winning a premiership. That’s definitely my goal.”
Brayshaw said he had no thoughts about a return to his home state of Victoria after settling in well in WA.
“It really wasn’t (a hard decision), I’ve been here for the last three years and I’ve put some good roots down here,” Brayshaw said.
“I’ve got a good connection of friends and luckily enough, I have some family over here as well. My partner’s just moved over too, she’s loving it over here which makes things very easy.”
In a message to Fremantle members and supporters, Brayshaw said his teammates were hungry to improve.
“I’m very excited about the direction the club is heading in and I think you guys should be, too,” Brayshaw said.
“We’ve got a dedicated group of players that all really want to succeed as much as you. Hang with us and I’m sure we’ll be seeing success very soon.”
Fremantle’s head of player personnel David Walls said Brayshaw had already exceeded the lofty expectations that come with being a top draft pick.
"We’re thrilled to have Andrew signing on for another four seasons. We rated him really highly in 2017 when we took him at pick no.2 and he’s exceeded our expectations as a player and as a person around the club, so we couldn’t be happier,” Walls said.
“He’s just turned 21 but he played this year as a 20-year-old and came equal third in the Doig Medal. With his attitude and want to get better, we hope Andrew can get better and better each year through to his mid-twenties.
"We’ve got a strong wave of young talent coming through and Andrew is integral to that. He’s a key piece for us keeping that core group together and developing over the next few years."
