Fremantle midfielder Andrew Brayshaw signs massive four-year contract extension

Fremantle star Andrew Brayshaw says he has no interest in being lured home to Victoria after inking a massive contract extension.

Majak Daw could play at local level in 2021. Picture: Michael Klein

Young Fremantle star Andrew Brayshaw has turned his back on a potential move home to Victoria by committing to a four-year contract extension that will keep him at the Dockers until at least the end of 2025.

The deal is on top of the one year remaining on his existing agreement – essentially making it five years – and will see the 21-year-old through to his eighth AFL season.

Selected at No. 2 in the 2017 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 Dockers could achieve into the future, having drafted WA quartet Heath Chapman, Nathan O’Driscoll, Brandon Walker and Joel Western this year but trading out key forward Jesse Hogan to GWS.

“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.

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Andrew Brayshaw will be at Fremantle until at least the end of 2025 after penning a new deal. Picture: AAP Image/Darren England

“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,” said Brayshaw, whose older brother Angus plays for Melbourne.

“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.”

INJURED SPEEDSTER SIGNS EXTENSION

Essendon has re-signed exciting young forward Irving Mosquito for 2021 despite the potential for him to not play a game.

Mosquito made a memorable debut in this season’s Dreamtime in Darwin blockbuster against Richmond, slotting two goals in an eye-catching display.

But the 20-year-old from Halls Creek then ruptured his ACL in just his fourth match which required a knee reconstruction.

Irving Mosquito has signed a new one-year deal with the Bombers. Picture: Michael Klein

He’s undergoing a rehabilitation program after successful surgery and said he was thrilled to get another contract.

“It was obviously frustrating to go down with a knee injury after playing a few games, but I’m determined to go through all the rehab processes and come back better for next season to continue developing my game at AFL level and play my role in the forward line,” he said.

Local clubs leading race for Daw signature

The next destination for Majak Daw’s incredible football journey is up in the air but the former Kangaroo is committed to making up for lost time in the game.

Daw, who was delisted by North Melbourne after 54 games in 10 seasons at Arden St, was hoping to be given a lifeline in the rookie draft on Thursday but that never eventuated.

Majak Daw could reunite with Brent Harvey in local footy next year.

While he is still open to auditioning for an AFL list spot over summer with the possibility of promotion via the supplementary selection period in March, the athletic tall defender could continue playing at local level.

Daw, 29, missed all of the 2019 season as he recovered from serious hip and pelvic injuries, suffered in December 2018 in a fall from the Bolte Bridge.

He wants to keep playing the game which made him a household name and is certain to have numerous offers from suburban clubs with two likely to have the early running thanks to their Kangaroos links.

Brent Harvey in action for North Heidelberg in the Northern Football League.

The AFL’s games record-holder Brent Harvey has known Daw throughout his career and would welcome him to North Heidelberg, where he’s played and coached since 2017.

Another possible destination is Old Scotch in the VAFA where former Kangaroos football manager and assistant coach Donald McDonald is now the football boss.

Daw was one of 11 Kangaroos axed at the end of the season in a savage list cull following the club’s disappointing campaign.

A torn pectoral muscle delayed his AFL return in 2020 and he made just four senior appearances.

McCartin weighs up next move after rookie miss

Former Saint Paddy McCartin is still seeking a second chance at AFL level.

Concussion-prone full-forward Paddy McCartin was hoping to hear his name called this week to resurrect his AFL career — six years after the Saints crowned him the No. 1 pick.

But McCartin’s most likely suitor, Sydney, where brother Tom plays, used the No. 4 draft pick on key forward Logan McDonald, who shapes as the heir to Lance Franklin’s throne. McCartin, 24, hasn’t decided what his next move will be and isn’t locked in to play for a VFL or local club in 2021 yet.

The one-grab goalkicker played 35 AFL games from 2015-18, but suffered eight sickening head blows and was delisted by the Saints last year to focus on the health of his brain.

Draft’s hardluck story still on radar

Kaine Baldwin, a 194cm key forward, looked a top-five talent as a 16-year-old, but back-to-back knee reconstructions saw the popular prospect left on the shelf.

Baldwin, 18, was captain of Westminster School this year and spent draft night making a speech at his valedictory dinner, but, sadly, the champagne never popped.

But clubs are certain to monitor the goalkicker in the SANFL next season and are big fans of his character and leadership.

Buzza explains shock local footy move

Former Cats cult hero Wylie Buzza and Port Adelaide-listed forward has opened up on his decision to sign with Geelong outfit St Mary’s — a move that angered the coach of an arch rival.

St Joseph’s coach Paul Carson believed he had secured the sought-after spearhead, who is hoping to land a spot with a third AFL club after being delisted by Port Adelaide, but he had not put pen to paper.

Wylie Buzza during a training session with Port Adelaide this year.

Those plans went up in smoke on Monday night when Buzza agreed to terms with St Mary’s.

It left Carson and St Joseph’s “gobsmacked”, but Buzza said St Mary’s was first GFL club to reach out to him.

Buzza is hoping to spend the majority of the season with Werribee but could prove to be a key player in St Mary’s flag defence in 2021 if he plays enough games to qualify for finals.

“It came down to, St Mary’s were the first to contact me out of any football club,” Buzza said.

Delisted Crow set for Victorian switch

Delisted Crow Jordan Gallucci is set to play in the VFL and East Coast second-tier Competition in a bid to earn an AFL lifeline.

Gallucci, 22, is yet to decide on a new club but is hopeful that he can use it as a platform to return to his best football and, eventually, extend his 27-game career at the elite level.

He has been working with a high-performance specialist in Melbourne and will return to full training in January, about two months ahead of schedule in his recovery from an achilles tendon injury.

Jordan Gallucci is set for a return to Victoria in a bid to reignite his AFL career.

Adelaide drafted Gallucci from Eastern Ranges with pick 16 in the 2016 national draft and he looked like he had established himself in the team as a small forward two years later when he played 16 games during the 2018 campaign.

But the speedster was restricted to 10 matches the following season and did not line up the club in 2020.

Originally published as Fremantle midfielder Andrew Brayshaw signs massive four-year contract extension