Andrew Brayshaw doesn’t have any issues copping a hard tag if it means his fellow star midfielders can flourish.
The 21-year-old has won plenty of the footy in 2021 with three 30+ disposal games as well as 29 touches against Melbourne.
He’s also seen the likes of Carlton’s Ed Curnow and Hawthorn’s James Worpel pay close attention to him to try and limit his impact.
Brayshaw’s fellow mids are also flying this season. David Mundy currently leads the AFL coaches’ votes while Nat Fyfe is putting up performances up to the calibre of his 2015 and 2019 Brownlow Medal winning seasons.
With Fyfe and Mundy in top form, Brayshaw said he felt it was a complement when opposition teams still focused on limiting his impact.
In an interview with Triple M, Brayshaw was asked why he thinks opposition teams are focusing on him instead of Freo’s other star mids.
“I’ve asked myself that a few times! I think of it as a sign of respect, they’re thinking I’m a damaging player so they put someone to me,” Brayshaw told Triple M.
“Sometimes I’m left scratching my head when Dave’s getting off the chain having 30 and kicking three and Nat’s having 35s. I guess they’ve got to pick one of us to go to, don’t they?”
Brayshaw said he often stands and admires the field kicking skills of Mundy, who has been rated as one of the best in the AFL.
“It’s a beautiful kick, he’s someone who rarely misses on the training track and it translates into games,” Brayshaw said.
“He has a beautiful low bullet when he needs to and he can also pin the ears back and as we saw on the weekend, he can kick a few. He’s very good.”
Fremantle have a 4-2 record heading into Sunday’s RAC Derby and Brayshaw said the whole group was getting right behind senior coach Justin Longmuir’s game plan.
“I’m loving it. Everyone at the club’s really enjoying the brand of footy we’re playing and it’s really enjoyable to come into the club,” Brayshaw said.
“The way we’ve got things set up under JL is really fun. We’ve got a group of blokes that are really keen to improve. It’s a good environment at the moment.”
Gallery: We're back!
More than goals
'We've got to be able to stop that' - JL wary of Eagles' strength
