The saving grace for current AFL players and their loved ones is that Angus Brayshaw’s decision to retire aged 28 due to concussion was based on medical advice.
That advice was based on evidence gathered through brain scans, neurological testing which showed that to keep playing would risk his long-term health.
Highly regarded on and off the field, Angus Brayshaw had an outstanding career. Credit: Getty
It shows players at the elite level now have access to more of the medical information and expertise they need to make an informed decision about their career. They can see what they don’t necessarily feel.
Regardless of your stature in the game – and few were better at football or more admired for the way they played the game than Brayshaw – the data is now available so that players in Brayshaw’s position can remove some of the emotion when faced with a difficult decision about their future.
And importantly, in a change from not so long ago, such data is being taken as seriously as many advocates on concussion issues have been taking it for years.
That is a much improved situation for modern players than what faced the generation before them, who would not have considered giving the game away because of a head knock.
However, there is more that can be done, and now is the time to take stock and do it. The minimum stand-down after a concussion should be increased from 12 to 21 days. If ever there was a time such a call would be accepted, it would be now.
Concussion passports, mandatory annual brain scans and greater regulation of junior football are all necessary, too, as is more research, but that requires investment, will, community and government support. Implementing the recommendations that arose from coroner John Cain’s inquest into former Tiger Shane Tuck’s death must also be prioritised.
Make no mistake, Thursday was a sobering day for football fans.
Brayshaw is the highest profile player to be forced from the game due to concussion. His departure means the first (Paddy McCartin) and third pick (Brayshaw) from the 2014 national draft have now retired due to concussion.
Brayshaw would not like retiring now, but he will not regret it.
The five years remaining on his contract will eventually be honoured once the relevant parties put their heads together – so to speak – to work through the finer details of his departure.
He is engaged, has been working part-time at an investment firm in Collins Street after completing a commerce degree, will be offered a role at the Melbourne Football Club and has been feeling well enough to keep teeing up at the Royal Melbourne Golf Club.
More than one Melbourne person has described him as a heart-and-soul player. Very few opposition supporters would have a bad word to say about Brayshaw or his brother Andrew, still playing for Fremantle.
Collingwood’s Brayden Maynard was cleared at the tribunal after the incident involving Angus Brayshaw. Credit: Darrian Traynor
It’s impossible to analyse the ramifications of the retirement without mentioning Collingwood defender Brayden Maynard. The 27-year-old will forever be linked to the decision, given the final concussion that ended Brayshaw’s career happened from the collision he had with Brayshaw in last year’s qualifying final.
Some supporters will assess him harshly as a result and nothing will change their opinion about him.
That’s unfortunate. The Magpie plays the game hard, but he also has total respect for his fellow combatants. Not many things will upset him more than the fact Brayshaw has had to reach this decision.
There will be endless debate about whether Maynard should have been suspended for that incident, with the football community, from premiership coaches to mug punters, split in their opinions.
It’s worth remembering that, in the moments Brayshaw lay motionless on the ground immediately after the incident, everyone feared the very worst because of his history of the concussions that threatened to derail his career in 2017.
That it didn’t throw him off course was a minor miracle and credit to his resilience and talent. He finished third in the Brownlow Medal in 2018, was an All-Australian nominee in 2022 and a premiership star in 2021, his goal in the third quarter of the grand final giving the Demons a lead over the Western Bulldogs they never relinquished.
What players must acknowledge is that they owe their opponents a duty of care and although accidents happen, minimising the damage is important, regardless of the stakes. Cut the crap out.
Maynard’s teammate Nathan Murphy will also have cause to pause as he attempts to get in the right frame of mind to play again after being concussed in the grand final. He has been given a medical clearance to play. That will play out over time, and he has every right to make his judgement based on advice he trusts.
What the decision reminds us is that more is to be done in the field of concussion as we accept that retiring due to head knocks is as much a choice for a player as deciding to retire because their foot is wrecked.
And we know, in retirement Brayshaw will show as much class off the field as he did on it. Hopefully, the next time he has a sore head is the day after he celebrates his wedding and begins another chapter in his life.
“Concussion is a massive issue facing our game. I hope from this, a terrible result for me personally, can come some positive outcomes for the future of player safety,” Brayshaw said.
Keep up to date with the best AFL coverage in the country. Sign up for the Real Footy newsletter.
