In a matter of a couple of hours on Thursday morning, two players were lost to the AFL. One was removed from the game due to medical reasons beyond his control. The other was removed from the game due to his own ill-advised actions – well within his control.
The comparisons between Angus Brayshaw and Tarryn Thomas end with the fact they left the game on the same day. Brayshaw was prepared for the end – he had been battling concussion issues for most of his career and the latest bout proved too much for doctors to sign off on. He was one of the few to wear headgear in the last ten years… not that it ended up doing him much good. He penned a letter to say goodbye, to grab back some semblance of leaving on his own terms amid advice that he cut his career short.
It was a tragic end to a career that was far more about the team than it ever was about the individual. A selfless player bowing out of the game with dignity.
Thomas was given multiple chances to get his act together, and never quite could. A string of driving offences and complaints of inappropriate behaviour towards women saw him cop two suspensions in 2023, his career hanging by a thread.
The third time was definitely not a charm for him, either.
Suspended for 18 weeks (as reported earlier in the week), North Melbourne opted to cut ties with him, as well, leaving him in footy’s version of No Man’s Land. It was the right move, irrespective of whether he gets his head right, improves himself, and makes it back to the top level. Hell, I can see a world where a 26-year-old Thomas is picked up for nothing by a team that “trusts its culture” and plays in a flag. There have been other stories like it, but North should feel content in the decision they made. They’d been very supportive up until now.
Perhaps too supportive.
My respect for Angus Brayshaw grew following the 2018 AFL season. That was the year he finished third in the Brownlow and couldn’t even score an invite to the event. You could be forgiven for thinking that, following the result, things could have gone to his head. He could have started demanding to play in the midfield and be first option for the ruckwork of Max Gawn. Third in the Brownlow doesn’t happen by chance. The bloke’s star was on the rise.
But what did we see from Brayshaw following that year?
It was quite the opposite. He went from star midfielder to… lower-possession wingman? Yep, over the next two seasons, we saw his stats drop significantly. From a lofty 26.09 in 2018 to 22.14 in 2019, and then two seasons where he averaged under 20 per game as he worked away on the wing.
Did his performance drop away?
No, the parameters of what success looked like just changed.
What Brayshaw did in his time on the wing made people sit up and take notice. He could have run around like a headless chook, chasing the footy and the big numbers many thought he should be averaging, but what we saw from Brayshaw emphasised the player he was. Maybe it emphasised the person he is.
There were moments over those two years where you could see Brayshaw’s direct opponent in a state of confusion. you could see they wanted to go hunt the footy, but they would look behind them, and there, holding his ground in space would be Angus Brayshaw, out on the “fat side” of the ground, removed from the action. The Demon would force his opponent to make a decision – go, chase the pill if you like, but if you don’t win it and it is cleared, I’ll be right here by myself, ready to make you pay for your choice.
Sometimes they’d choose wrong.
And Brayshaw would make them pay.
In contrast, the word selfless will likely never be applied to Tarryn Thomas. Talent-wise, he had the world at his feet, only to trip on it and stumble several times. Blessed with silky skills, a loping stride that made him look graceful as he floated over the ground, and with a sense for kicking a goal, he was the type of player that resembled the cherry on top of a well-made cake.
However, with just 69 games over five seasons, we didn’t see him enough, and rarely saw the best of him.
Thomas had the potential to be a difference-maker at Arden Street. His ceiling was high, but his basement was low, and that is where he ended up – rock bottom in terms of his footy future. Visions of him taking off, having a bounce, and stepping an opponent are still fresh in my mind – his finish to the 2023, averaging 23 disposals per game over the last month, highlighted just what he could mean to a developing North Melbourne. 23 touches from him were worth 30 from others.
But memories is all they’ll be, now – small, pleasant memories amid a flurry of negative ones.
And just like that, North have to find a replacement for what he provided on-field.
Angus Brayshaw will be missed by the Melbourne Football Club and just about everyone associated with footy. He matured from a highly-talented young player into a team-first warrior, who ended up moving between half-back and the middle in 2023.
Though many will claim the opposite, Thomas will be missed, as well, if only for what he could have offered. North fans will be mourning the loss of possibilities, if not the loss of a player.
One gets a well-deserved farewell, filled with best wishes and great memories. The other gets the AFL-version of the foot in the backside on the way out the door.
Perhaps deservedly so.
The AFL may have lost two vast talents on the same day of the 2024 pre-season, but only one has left us with positive memories. Whatever happens from here, my hope is that both men get respective the help they need.
There will be life after footy for Angus Brayshaw. His health is paramount, but doors will open. As a victim of concussion, he did nothing wrong.
For Thomas, what life looks like after football remains to be seen. I’m not sure people are lining up to bring people onboard with the baggage he now carries. Without footy, doors don’t open as easily or as often.
February 22nd, 2024 spelled the end of two AFL careers, and in their own way, both ends were tragic. And in both cases, there will be valuable lessons the league learns.
Fingers crossed we don’t see either scensrio repeated in the near future.
