Universal Love Pick #2 - Welcome Andrew Brayshaw - 2022 AFLPA MVP

theGav56

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I'd love to see what guys like North & Valente (has been injured I know) can do in place of him.
Very much looking forward to seeing those boys get a run at some stage too. I think their best shot at it was in the first part of the season though. If we are actually going to push towards finals the focus will shift from list development mode (which we have already seen less of this season) and more towards playing a stable best 22. SHill? Bennell?

The other thing is that with Crowden having been an emergency and BOG for Peel he is quite likely ahead of them both for now.
 

Purple Kermit

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disagree with some of the players you mentioned, but I agree with your sentiment.
Barlow was a star for a period. D Pearce was never an inside player.
The player Brayshaw is projecting as, in my opinion is Conca.
Hard body, hard at it. Can get the footy. Good defensive qualities, including good tackling. OK hands. Questionable kicking.
2 peas in a pod.
I'd love to see what guys like North & Valente (has been injured I know) can do in place of him.
Brayshaw has played 20-something games and he’s already the player Conca is. He’s projecting to be a much better player, with all due respect to Conca.
 

Scham

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disagree with some of the players you mentioned, but I agree with your sentiment.
Barlow was a star for a period. D Pearce was never an inside player.
The player Brayshaw is projecting as, in my opinion is Conca.
Hard body, hard at it. Can get the footy. Good defensive qualities, including good tackling. OK hands. Questionable kicking.
2 peas in a pod.
I'd love to see what guys like North & Valente (has been injured I know) can do in place of him.

Not going to happen.
 

Jezzitizle

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Aug 17, 2009
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I’ve certainly been concerned about his kicking, but thought it was ok yesterday.

Personally he reminds me of Sloane more than anyone in his style and attack on the footy. Lenny Hayes is the other one he reminds me of.

There is a chance as he becomes more used to afl intensity his kicking becomes tidier.

The good news is his decision making seems to be elite, so if his kicking picks up, even if it isn’t penetrating he could become damaging by foot, in a Sam Mitchell way (but without the effortless switch between kicking feet) setting up play.

Also as he develops mental strength and routine his goal kicking may improve.

Really too early to know though.
 
Oct 12, 2017
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Loved that tough moment when the game was on the line. Has the right attitude but still has a long way to go.


The reverse pivot shows his foots smarts. If he'd just gone straight for the ball or dive on it he wouldn't have made it out. He knew how he was going to exit the contest as he grabbed the ball and got clear leaving carnage on the ground.
 
Feb 11, 2011
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Yep, there are pigheaded people here, they expect 19 year old superstars. Fyfe at 19, Mundy at 19, ........ one was so so, the other playing for Subi !!!.

Andrew is tracking along very nicely.

I always say, give players 3 seasons after drafting, before making an assessment against fellow draftees. Now we are 50% through this period, Brayshaw is looking good.
Mundy was a half back and people questioned his toughness and speed.

Only when he went into the midfield he started to star.
 
Brayshaw (FWD), Conca (DEF), Blakely (DEF) are our part time sledgehammers in the contest. Our four quarter efforts have come off the back of these sorts of players spending arguably most of the game out of the middle so they are fresher at the end of the game.

..and to a lesser extent Tucker (FWD), Cerra (DEF/FWD), Mundy (FWD) and Walters (FWD) but those guys are going to find themselves in more space because the guys listed above will win it for them.

Fyfe goes without saying.
 

Cobbler

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I’ve certainly been concerned about his kicking, but thought it was ok yesterday.

Personally he reminds me of Sloane more than anyone in his style and attack on the footy. Lenny Hayes is the other one he reminds me of.

There is a chance as he becomes more used to afl intensity his kicking becomes tidier.

The good news is his decision making seems to be elite, so if his kicking picks up, even if it isn’t penetrating he could become damaging by foot, in a Sam Mitchell way (but without the effortless switch between kicking feet) setting up play.

Also as he develops mental strength and routine his goal kicking may improve.

Really too early to know though.

That’s my feel.
He is sometimes a bit rushed and the errors come. Once he realises he is good enough to create time for himself his kicking will improve.
He was drafted as an inside midfielder and what I’ve seen of that is brilliant.
 

theGav56

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Still can't believe there have been posters wanting to drop or 'rest' him recently after few ordinary games, talk about being impatient.
Football is a game played over a couple of hours but a season is played over 22 games, plus recruiting, pre-season and finals. A career perhaps played over 10 years. All of these things can be enjoyed, but some people just don't have the time-frame for it.
 

_007_

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Jun 30, 2014
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How many hundreds of players have played AFL? Name 10 who significantly improved their kicking from their rookie years. It just doesn't happen often. He was listed as a bottom 2 kick in the AFL along with Dow from Carlton and the eyeball test agrees with that. Like others have said everything else he does is good and I'm sure he'll have a long career at Freo or elsewhere but you can find that type anywhere in the draft.

Will he be a 200 game player - barring injury I'm sure he'll push 300.

Is there room for his type of player in an AFL team - definitely.

Am I happy drafting that type with pick 2 despite all the other positive aspects to his game - No.
 

Cobbler

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How many hundreds of players have played AFL? Name 10 who significantly improved their kicking from their rookie years. It just doesn't happen often. He was listed as a bottom 2 kick in the AFL along with Dow from Carlton and the eyeball test agrees with that. Like others have said everything else he does is good and I'm sure he'll have a long career at Freo or elsewhere but you can find that type anywhere in the draft.

Will he be a 200 game player - barring injury I'm sure he'll push 300.

Is there room for his type of player in an AFL team - definitely.

Am I happy drafting that type with pick 2 despite all the other positive aspects to his game - No.

It’s more a case of who would we rather have drafted? Rayner was gone and I’d argue anyone from the next 10 players haven’t shown much more. Stephenson the exception but he played deep forward in a side that contested for a flag.

Feel we dodged a bullet with LDU although he was actually ok on the weekend.

It wasn’t a great draft year... at this stage.
 
How many hundreds of players have played AFL? Name 10 who significantly improved their kicking from their rookie years. It just doesn't happen often. He was listed as a bottom 2 kick in the AFL along with Dow from Carlton and the eyeball test agrees with that. Like others have said everything else he does is good and I'm sure he'll have a long career at Freo or elsewhere but you can find that type anywhere in the draft.

Will he be a 200 game player - barring injury I'm sure he'll push 300.

Is there room for his type of player in an AFL team - definitely.

Am I happy drafting that type with pick 2 despite all the other positive aspects to his game - No.
His kicking is never going to be elite but I think it will get close to what Fyfe is now which is fine given his other attributes.

As was said, its a case of who else is better as well. Dow's kicking is flat out worse, like its unbelievably bad. LDU has shown a bit more this year but AB still has him covered. AB also has close to zero go home factor and there is no one else in the top 20 ,yet alone top 10 that have shown as much as him bar Naughton. I will argue to the ends of the Earth that Naughton would have been a terrible pick given our backline stocks (Pearce, Hamling, Logue) and we would have had some idea Hogan was a good chance.

I think at the worst we get Stanton but with a really good character. At best we get a Cotchin or Joel Selwood. Liklihood is something in between.
 

Ysaye

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His kicking is never going to be elite but I think it will get close to what Fyfe is now which is fine given his other attributes.

As was said, its a case of who else is better as well. Dow's kicking is flat out worse, like its unbelievably bad. LDU has shown a bit more this year but AB still has him covered. AB also has close to zero go home factor and there is no one else in the top 20 ,yet alone top 10 that have shown as much as him bar Naughton. I will argue to the ends of the Earth that Naughton would have been a terrible pick given our backline stocks (Pearce, Hamling, Logue) and we would have had some idea Hogan was a good chance.

I think at the worst we get Stanton but with a really good character. At best we get a Cotchin or Joel Selwood. Liklihood is something in between.

Stephenson, Cerra, Rayner, Naughton have been better at times, but he is in that level of company, so that's fine. There was also some useful mature agers (Tim Kelly, Liam Ryan etc.) but they don't really count in my book as you would have never drafted them with a top pick because of the large risks that comes with that type of player.
 
May 2, 2007
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disagree with some of the players you mentioned, but I agree with your sentiment.
Barlow was a star for a period. D Pearce was never an inside player.
The player Brayshaw is projecting as, in my opinion is Conca.
Hard body, hard at it. Can get the footy. Good defensive qualities, including good tackling. OK hands. Questionable kicking.
2 peas in a pod.
I'd love to see what guys like North & Valente (has been injured I know) can do in place of him.
fawltyindex.jpg
 

Ysaye

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You have to hand that one to the Peel watchers. They were dead set at the time that we should draft Naughton, and they turned out to be right.

I saw Naughton at the time and was very keen, but I didn't complain too much at the time and am still not complaining about us going Brayshaw and Cerra.
 
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