Andrew Gaff visits Andrew Brayshaw in Melbourne to say sorry for punch
A BUNCH of flowers for Andrew Brayshaw’s mum helped set the scene for the young Docker to forgive Eagle Andrew Gaff in a private meeting at the Brayshaw home this week.
West Coast
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ANDREW Gaff delivered a personal apology — and a bunch of flowers — at the home of felled Docker Andrew Brayshaw in Melbourne this week.
The suspended Eagles midfielder and his victim spent 30 minutes alone and the pair have now agreed to move on from one of the most shocking footy incidents of the season.
The young Fremantle midfielder suffered a broken jaw and had several teeth displaced by a violent punch from Gaff, who was later banned for eight matches by the AFL Tribunal.
MARK ROBINSON: BRAYSHAW’S REMARKABLE ACT OF FORGIVENESS
Brayshaw’s older brother Angus, who plays for Melbourne, has revealed the details of the pair’s catch-up.
“Andrew came to our parents’ place early in week. He brought around some flowers for Debra, and mum was at work, so it was just him and Andrew Brayshaw sitting there, they had a chat for 30 minutes and he apologised and they spoke about a few things and as far as I can tell it went really well,” he said on the AFL Exchange podcast.
“I think it will be beneficial for Gaff to have a bit of closure about it and for Andrew as well. I can only imagine what it would be like to be punched in the face, mentally what that would do to you, so for him to accept the apology is a step in moving forward, it’s a really good step.
“I don’t think anyone would say Gaff is a bad person who was sent out to belt blokes … I don’t think it was ever in doubt that he would get an apology. I think for him it’s finished, the apology’s been accepted and now Andrew’s going to get on with his recovery.”
Brayshaw said a family connection between the two — a third brother Hamish is on West Coast’s list — helped bring the pair together.
“It’s been forgiven and Andrew’s accepted his apology and as far as I’m concerned, he’s got his punishment and that’s it.”
Angus Brayshaw said his brother was recovering well after moving back in with his parents but was still drinking his food through a straw and could only do limited physical exercise.
“His lip’s come down a bit, there’s still a bit of a scab there, he’s talking a bit better day by day — he’s recovering.
“We walked the dog the other day, but other than that it’s pretty low-key … we’re just watching a bit of Netflix and playing some PlayStation.”
Brayshaw also addressed Melbourne’s tenuous hold on a spot in the top eight, declaring the Demons were happy to play with their backs to the wall.
After letting a golden opportunity slip against Sydney last Sunday, the Demons face the prospect of having to win at least one and possibly both of their final two games — against West Coast in Perth and GWS Giants at the MCG — to end an 11-year finals drought.
In a nightmare scenario the Dees could win both games and still miss out, but Brayshaw isn’t worried.
“To be honest, as crazy as it might sound, we love the position we’re in where people are counting us out,” he said.
“Our backs are against the wall and we just feel like we’ve put ourselves in a position to play finals for the first time in however many years and we’re really excited for the opportunity to go to West Coast.”
Brayshaw said the club couldn’t hide from a 0-5 record against top eight sides this year.
“The stat’s there … but you look at some of the games we’ve lost we’ve certainly been in positions to win games, which is the first battle.
“Obviously, we would have loved to have won a few of these games but everyone will forget it real quick if we can make a bit of a splash by winning a couple of these games based off the improvement we’ve had throughout the year. The stat’s not too glamorous but we can’t wait for the next couple of weeks.”
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