3 hours ago, Demonland said:

After 167 games including the drought breaking Premiership Angus Brayshaw has made the heart breaking decision to medically retire from football as a result of a series of serious head knocks over his nearly decade of footy. We wish Gus all the best and he'll always be a hero at Demonland.

😢

Maynard is to pay for this.. so sad... xxxx

Congrats on a great career Brayshaw you will be missed.

3 hours ago, La Dee-vina Comedia said:

The fact that an appeals body determined that Maynard should not be suspended clearly confirmed that a new rule was needed. We might not agree with that tribunal's decision, but the AFL was left with no choice but to amend the rule to ensure a future tribunal would not make the same decision in similar circumstances.

And to be even more controversial. I wonder how Maynard feels today? I expect he feels terrible. Whether anybody on here cares, or should care, is another matter, of course.

Peter Ryan in DomainFax laid out a great analysis which concluded there was every chance Maynard would be freed again under the new rules. What does that tell you

 

I bet Maynard couldn’t give a tinkers fig

 

i hope we have very very bad and horrible things planned for Maynard next time we meet

shocked and devastated at the news, hopefully he lives a long and peaceful life.

angry at the injustice of how we ended up here.

he needs a development role asap, need to harness the "energy" this situation will generate. his selflessness cannot be lost.

longer term, this could be very interesting from a salary cap point of view. we could keep more stars for longer or maybe even poach a star to keep our window open for longer. the spreadsheet staff will be having a field day!

 

The end of Angus' long (AMAZING) letter:

"And so, concludes me career. I have no regrets and a lot of love. My heart will ALWAYS beat true for the red and the blue. Go Dees."

What an elite top shelf gentleman and athlete. Will be missed. Hope the guys can put aside the drama and unideal prep for the season and do it for him. A flag this year would be tough (without him, as just one of the reasons), but would be so sweet. 

Highly recommend the read. 

A letter from Gus (melbournefc.com.au)

Edited February 22, 20241 yr by Red But Mostly Blue
Link

9 minutes ago, Red But Mostly Blue said:

The end of Angus' long (AMAZING) letter:

"And so, concludes me career. I have no regrets and a lot of love. My heart will ALWAYS beat true for the red and the blue. Go Dees."

What an elite top shelf gentleman and athlete. Will be missed. Hope the guys can put aside the drama and unideal prep for the season and do it for him. A flag this year would be tough (without him, as just one of the reasons), but would be so sweet. 

Highly recommend the read. 

A letter from Gus (melbournefc.com.au)

This is one of the best-written things I’ve read in years.

21 minutes ago, Red But Mostly Blue said:

The end of Angus' long (AMAZING) letter:

"And so, concludes me career. I have no regrets and a lot of love. My heart will ALWAYS beat true for the red and the blue. Go Dees."

What an elite top shelf gentleman and athlete. Will be missed. Hope the guys can put aside the drama and unideal prep for the season and do it for him. A flag this year would be tough (without him, as just one of the reasons), but would be so sweet. 

Highly recommend the read. 

A letter from Gus (melbournefc.com.au)

I read it and certainly had a tear in my eye

What a champion player and person!

My hate for Maynard and Collingwood has now gone to Warp factor 10! ☠️

And dont get me started on the AFL!

Edited February 22, 20241 yr by picket fence

It is all so heart-wrenching.

2 hours ago, hardtack said:

Yes, I’m devastated that we’re losing Brayshaw, but all (probably the bulk) of these comments directed at Maynard and the AFL for their inaction are way off the mark.

To say that Brayshaw hadn’t had a concussion for x amount of years as if that meant he was in tip-top A1 condition and that Maynard is responsible for his having to retire is ridiculous. The effects of the past concussions are cumulative (they do not just disappear) and I’d suspect that Brayshaw and his ‘team’ had pondered retirement more than once in the past, purely because of his history. As weird as it may seem, maybe the Maynard incident was a blessing in disguise, having forced a decision upon them that is most likely in Brayshaw’s best interests.

To say that this was caused by the AFL’s inaction is also either wrong, or a misguided case of 20/20 hindsight. They could ban Maynard for a year, and it would make no difference as to whether Gus would retire or not. Where were all of the complaints about the AFL being too slow to act on changing rules relating to smothers, prior to this incident?  The fact is that the AFL have now acted and have made changes to those rules, citing the players duty of care etc.

Why is it that our supporters are always looking for someone to blame when things go wrong, when we should be wishing Gus all the best for the future? Even in the practice match thread people were raising the old chestnut of the umpires hating Melbourne. 

Anyway, whether you agree or disagree with my rant is of no consequence … I think we can ALL agree that Gus has a long haul ahead of him and that we ALL send lots of love in his direction and wish him well in his journey.  I do hope the club employs him in some capacity, as the Dees just won’t seem the same without him. He was a great servant of the club!

Go well Gus!!

Very well measured post.

Today is about Gus as a MFC player and wishing him and his family well for the future 

Reading Gus's letter puts into perspective that footy is just a game. He can look back at his footy career and be really proud of what he has achieved and the friendships he has made. He is a heart and soul player who supporters love and I'm happy for him in the sense that he won't continue putting his health at risk on the field and hopefully he doesn't have longer term issues.

 

34 minutes ago, Red But Mostly Blue said:

Highly recommend the read. 

A letter from Gus (melbournefc.com.au)

😭😭😭😭

devastating - much love to you Gus 

3 hours ago, deegirl said:

Not to mention the pathetic Collingwood crowd booing as Gus was stretchered off

I will never forget that as long as I live. I was at the game and surrounded by Pies supporters who looked like they had a total combined IQ of about 10 between them. I couldn’t stand it so left my seat and went and sat downstairs. I refused to talk to my husband for about a week and told him I will never, ever go to a Collingwood game with him ever again. This still makes my blood boil. 
I have not watched one minute of last years GF and never will. It make me feel sick to think that thug has a premiership medal.

1 hour ago, sue said:

If you believe that Maynard was genuinely attempting to simply smother, you and I are on different planets.  So I think the quesiton you posed is irrelevant.

Just because you can reasonably argue (as you did) that Angus' condition had a long history, says nothing to absolve the AFL and its sychophant/gravy-train media of the shameful outcome of the 'trial' of Maynard.

I’m certainly not absolving Maynard or the AFL over the outcome of that particular case (I was up and out of my chair yelling at the time the hit happened). What I’m saying relates to all of the posters laying the blame for Gus’ retirement at the AFL’s feet… it makes no difference to this final outcome. 

It will be interesting to see what kind of effect this announcement will have on Maynard himself… I’m no fan of his and cannot forgive that hit, but I can’t help but worry that this could have a big affect on his mental health.

Gee whiz, dees supporters are resilient, but seriously, enough is enough.  The last 5 months have been a never ending nightmare.  Get some sort of energy worker to the club immediately.  I can’t take any more of this.

Thanks Gus.  All the best for the future.

That is one hell of a letter to fans and team mates 

A top shelf demon. So sad!

So sad.

He has been "special* in so many ways....his coolness ,courage,match turning ability I will really miss.

Hang around to help the team spirit mate.

Enjoy the golf and family life

I have just read Angus’s letter Saying goodbye. SWYL shed some tears. He is a Heart and Soul Player that will leave a huge hole within the Club this Season. 
I am also incredibly ANGRY at the INJUSTICE that Followed that night in September. 
I have a Filth Mate who i have known since School days. 
I HAVE NOT SPOKEN TO HIM SINCE THAT NIGHT 

That is how much i HATE The Filth. 
 

We must Win FLAGS against these [censored]

For Gus and all of us

Smash the Bastards at every opportunity 

This was a Planned Move executed by our Mortal Enemy….

3 hours ago, hardtack said:

Yes, I’m devastated that we’re losing Brayshaw, but all (probably the bulk) of these comments directed at Maynard and the AFL for their inaction are way off the mark.

To say that Brayshaw hadn’t had a concussion for x amount of years as if that meant he was in tip-top A1 condition and that Maynard is responsible for his having to retire is ridiculous. The effects of the past concussions are cumulative (they do not just disappear) and I’d suspect that Brayshaw and his ‘team’ had pondered retirement more than once in the past, purely because of his history. As weird as it may seem, maybe the Maynard incident was a blessing in disguise, having forced a decision upon them that is most likely in Brayshaw’s best interests.

To say that this was caused by the AFL’s inaction is also either wrong, or a misguided case of 20/20 hindsight. They could ban Maynard for a year, and it would make no difference as to whether Gus would retire or not. Where were all of the complaints about the AFL being too slow to act on changing rules relating to smothers, prior to this incident?  The fact is that the AFL have now acted and have made changes to those rules, citing the players duty of care etc.

 

I respect your opinions HT, and see what you you are saying, but i strongly disagree with these points (with the exception of the bolded bit). 

Leaving aside the culpability of Maynard, and any anger i might feel towards him (which for me has dissipated and todays news hasn't really changed that) there is no doubt it was that incident that directly caused Gus to have to retire, not a cumulative effect of multiple head knocks.

For one thing he hadn't a concussion in 5 years, as i understand it was regularly tested and was in good brain health.

That hit, legal, or not, was akin to a car crash such was its severity. The only thing close i have seen on the footy field watching live is Matthews laying out Steve Smith at Princess Park.

In the opening para of his letter to fans Gus makes it crystal clear the reason he has to retire is because of the Maynard hit (my bolded bit): 

• 'Scans taken 2 weeks after the qualifying final against Collingwood compared to scans taken last week revealed further deterioration of my brain as a direct result of the incident I was involved in that September evening. This means that medically, I can no longer continue to play contact sports of any kind to protect my long-term health. 

Note: the context of the further deterioration he references is a comparison of a recent scan to one taken after the Maynard hit, not historical, cumulative damage levels.

Today's not the day to debate the AFL's responsibility and role in this awful situation, suffice to say i absolutely think the AFL's inaction is a causal factor in the incident, as i have little doubt will soon be fully ventilated on court. 

Happy to come back to this discussion when emotions have cooled, because i think it is an important one and i couldn't agree more with Gus that a lot more needs to be done to address the scourge of concussion (and also with what i read as his implied criticism that not enough has been done, again my bolding):

• 'The issue of concussion is incredibly important for our game and industry to address over the coming years. We have made great strides in this space, but there is more that needs to be done to safeguard the brains of players not only in the AFL ranks, but from grassroots all the way up. I believe the future of our game will be strongly impacted by how we deal with this element of player safety as more information comes to light. I hope the AFL will be proactive in the future when it comes to the safety of its players as opposed to reactive, so we can continue to enjoy this amazing game and protect the brains of the players. They must be sacrosanct.'

 

Edited February 22, 20241 yr by binman

27 minutes ago, Demonland said:

 

I had a rush of sadness and other hollow emotions when I read of Gus’s effective immediate retirement from the game he loves but after reading most of the posts on here and then reading Gus’s letter I certainly shed a tear but it made me feel proud that we have a player of Angus’s calibre within our ranks and how special he made us feel and how he will always be remembered as a MFC hero for helping to break that damned 57 year drought. Thank you Angus Brayshaw and good luck in all your future pursuit’s, you will be greatly missed.😢❤️💙

3 minutes ago, binman said:

I respect your opinions HT, and see what you you are saying, but i strongly disagree with these points (with the exception of the bolded bit). 

Leaving aside the culpability of Maynard, and any anger i might feel towards him (which for me has dissipated and todays news hasn't really changed that) there is no doubt it was that incident that directly caused Gus to have to retire, not a cumulative effect of multiple head knocks.

For one thing he hadn't a concussion in 5 years, as i understand it was regularly tested and was in good brain health.

That hit, legal, or not, was akin to a car crash such was its severity. The only thing close i have seen on the footy field watching live is Matthews laying out Steve Smith at Princess Park.

In the opening para of his letter to fans Gus makes it crystal clear the reason he has to retire is because of the Maynard hit (my bolded bit): 

• 'Scans taken 2 weeks after the qualifying final against Collingwood compared to scans taken last week revealed further deterioration of my brain as a direct result of the incident I was involved in that September evening. This means that medically, I can no longer continue to play contact sports of any kind to protect my long-term health. 

Today's not the day to debate the AFL's responsibility and role in this awful situation, suffice to say i absolutely think the AFL's inaction is a causal factor in the incident, as i have little doubt will soon be fully ventilated on court. 

Happy to come back to this discussion when emotions have cooled, because i think it is an important one and i couldn't agree more with Gus that a lot more needs to be done to address the scourge of concussion (and also with what i read as an implied, and direct, criticism that not enough has been done, again my bolding):

• 'The issue of concussion is incredibly important for our game and industry to address over the coming years. We have made great strides in this space, but there is more that needs to be done to safeguard the brains of players not only in the AFL ranks, but from grassroots all the way up. I believe the future of our game will be strongly impacted by how we deal with this element of player safety as more information comes to light. I hope the AFL will be proactive in the future when it comes to the safety of its players as opposed to reactive, so we can continue to enjoy this amazing game and protect the brains of the players. They must be sacrosanct.'

 

My emotions will never cool and dissipate over this one. 
Every time i see a Filth jumper i will feel RAGE at the injustice 

Angus was Booed off the Ground by those Filthy Bastards

This is Line in the Sand Stuff. I hope our Football Department and Players are seething with desire to win the next Cup

For Angus, We Must Do

So much love for this kid. Forever a Demon.

No worries, Maynard will bring some flowers around again, and all will be ok.

Gus, you made the right call. Doesn’t make it any easier though.

Thanks for the flag mate.

Team. Do it for Gus in 24. Simple as that.