The simple mantra that drives Fremantle’s Andrew Brayshaw

Andrew Brayshaw has been forced to mature quickly but is elevating his game to a new level in Fremantle’s midfield.

Docker Andrew Brayshaw was superb against Hawthorn on Monday and will celebrate his 50th match on Saturday night against Carlton. Picture: Getty Images

The burgeoning career of Andrew Brayshaw has been driven by a personal mantra that is evident in the young Docker’s approach to football.

The 20-year-old, who celebrates his 50th game against Carlton in Perth on Saturday night, has had more disposals than any Fremantle footballer in 2020, but that is just a welcome by-product of his desire.

Earlier this week Brownlow Medal favourite Lachie Neale outlined “metres gained” as a crucial statistic for him when considering how he has performed each week this year.

Brayshaw, who lived with Neale in his first season at Fremantle in 2018, is still building his craft and has a simpler motivation.

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When not winning the football, he wants to make life as testing as possible for his rivals. As a result, he has also laid more tackles than any other Docker this year.

And he feels the intent required to master the defensive skill is crucial given it hones his ability to attack as well.

“Someone like Lachie, who has been in the system for ages, he is fine-tuning his craft, whereas I am still vastly improving a lot of my stuff,” Brayshaw told The Weekend Australian.

“I try to base my game on tackle, hunt and pressure. I feel like if my pressure is on and I can tackle throughout the game, then usually I feel pretty good offensively as well. That is my main one-wood, I guess.

“I haven’t really thought too much about metres gained or anything like that yet, but I am sure as my career continues, I will fine-tune it and start to think about things like that.”

It does not feel that long ago since Brayshaw arrived at Melbourne airport for a flight west to Perth alongside fellow draftee Adam Cerra, who played his 50th game earlier this month, in late 2017. But the emerging stars of the Fremantle midfield have been forced to mature quickly.

Initially, this was to be able to compete at training alongside champions such as Nat Fyfe, David Mundy and Neale, who departed for Brisbane at the end of 2018, let alone play.

Neale’s exit occurred not long after Brayshaw, who is a keen golfer, unfortunately found himself the innocent victim of a callous strike from Andrew Gaff during a spiteful derby in 2018.

He was hospitalised with a broken jaw and Gaff missed a premiership when suspended for six weeks.

In a disappointing 2019 for Fremantle, the tenure of Ross Lyon that included a run to the Dockers’ only grand final in 2013, came to an end. But Brayshaw, who is studying a bachelor of commerce at Curtin University, has thrived despite the tumult.

Along with Cerra, a former schoolboy rival who has become a close friend, and teenager Caleb Serong, Brayshaw helped Fremantle to a strong win over Hawthorn on Monday night. He received additional reason to celebrate ahead of Saturday’s milestone with housemate Stefan Giro returning to full training this week after recovering from a serious knee injury suffered last year.

The quality of Brayshaw’s football, in tandem with the promise of Fremantle’s department of youth, is earning plaudits as the wins start coming under first-season coach Justin Longmuir.

“(Brayshaw and Cerra) worked their backsides off to improve their game and they are bearing the fruit of that,” Longmuir said.

“Their attitudes to put in all they’ve got to every session they do to get better and improve their game, (the Hawthorn win) is a by-product of that.

“They are still young in terms of age, but (they have) a lot of maturity in terms of the people they are on the field, but also off the field as well.”

Fyfe, a dual-Brownlow Medallist, and Mundy, who is performing superbly in his 16th season, provide a daily example of champion behaviour, which Brayshaw is grateful for.

“Once I first got to the club, Fyfey and Dave were two of the blokes who really had a large impact on myself and a few of the other young guys,” Brayshaw said.

“It gives you confidence that they have been in the system at Freo — Dave has been here for 16 years or something — (to) trust in the process and the development of players at the club. I feel very fortunate that I have had both of those guys as mentors.”