Melbourne Demons give touching tribute to retired teammate

The Melbourne Demons have given a touching tribute to their recently retired teammate moments before the first game of the season.

Melbourne have given a touching tribute to Angus Brayshaw in the first game since the Demons star’s early retirement due to concussion.

Brayshaw told teammates last month he had made the decision to retire immediately after medical experts determined it was unsafe for him to continue playing following multiple head injuries.

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Before the season opener between Melbourne and the Sydney Swans on Thursday night, the Demons made it clear they hadn’t forgotten Brayshaw.

As they walked out of their changerooms at the SCG, the Demons players touched the same blue and red helmet Brayshaw used to wear, which was hanging on the wall.

Melbourne captain Max Gawn gave a the helmet a strong thud in a touching tribute to his old teammate.

Max Gawn taps Angus Brayshaw's helmet in a touching tribute. Photo: Channel 7.

Brayshaw, a 2021 premiership player, was one of a handful of players Melbourne will be without this season. James Harmes moved to the Western Bulldogs and James Jordon was recruited by the Sydney Swans.

The 28-year-old Brayshaw walked away with five more seasons still to run on his contract, which expired at the end of the 2028 season, having played 167 games for the club.

He had undergone brain scans and consulted neurologists over summer in a bid to continue his career.

However, just two weeks before the club’s season began with a blockbuster against the Swans in Sydney, Brayshaw was forced to accept his career as over.

“I am devastated that I can no longer play the game that I love, but I respect the verdict of the medical professionals, and the importance of putting my health before my career,” Brayshaw said.

“I am really proud of what I have achieved over the past decade. I have been able to live out my childhood dream and while it’s been cut short, I am forever grateful to everyone who has been involved.

“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.”

On the even of the new season, the AFL announced changes to concussion protocols for local football leagues and the VFL.

All footballers playing outside the AFL and AFLW competitions will have to wait 21 days after suffering a concussion before returning to play, under new protocols announced by the AFL.

The existing minimum of 12 days on the sidelines after being concussed will continue to operate for AFL and AFLW players.

Angus Brayshaw played in Melbourne’s 2021 premiership. Picture: Instagram.

Brayshaw retired due to ongoing concussion issues. Picture: Mark Stewart

Brayshaw returned to training following the latest concussion of his career in Melbourne’s qualifying final against Collingwood last September, but recent neuropsychological testing led to medical experts advising the Demons midfielder to retire, the club said in a statement.

“That process allowed Brayshaw to return in a controlled training program, but recent neuropsychological testing brought that recovery program to a halt,” the statement read.

“A recent highly specialised scan result revealed microscopic changes in the brain that had developed since the concussion.

“It was based on these results that Brayshaw has been medically retired.”

The club statement went on to describe Brayshaw as “much loved by all the players, coaches and staff”.

He was knocked unconscious in a first-quarter collision with Brayden Maynard in September, but the club said in the days that followed there were positive signs.

Brayshaw missed half of his second season in 2016 and the majority of 2017 after suffering four concussions over 12 months and played wearing a helmet since that period.

His collision with Maynard became one of the most controversial moments of the 2023 season after the Magpie was cleared by a judiciary tribunal and was free to play the rest of the finals series.

The league confirmed earlier this month there will be a new rule interpretation for the 2024 season as a result of Maynard’s smothering attempt.