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Soon to be dual premiership player.

Not surprising, but he's going out while still playing good footy. I thought that after quarter time he killed Elliott who is s good player. He's been great for Melbourne - and we've been great for him.

Hope he has three more games. Loved pig and stoked we got him.

To feel better watch the oft maligned Caro on this mornings insiders on abc IView now. She and the rest of the panel nailed all the issues forcefully and with facts. Appalled at the ex players commentary. Praised Laura Kane for upfront management. And called for mro officer resignation. Thanks Caro.

Even for a novice concussion, he wouldn't be out and about for up to a week. Angus would be, sadly, all too familiar with the protocols, which are now even more rigorous than when he was last concussed. I would be very surprised were he to be involved with anything at the club until after PF weekend, and not likely to play even if we somehow do get to the GF. Thanks Maynard, you dirty dog. 😠

Seems like a whole slew of things combining in this story. First and foremost a serious ko to Brayshaw that may well end the career of one of our clubs champions. This is really a sad thing and Im still furious about it. Second is the outrageous media bias, the disgusting gathering of commentators demeaning themselves at the collingwood alter. As has been mentioned we KNOW this would not be happening if that was kozzi or Viney on Daicos. Third, while we know all about the Collingwood worship from media looking for clicks, there is the added element that as a club we seem so easy to push around. No one in the media seems to really have our back. Garry lyon is old time in that he appears neutral so often. Fourth , the charge at Brayshaw ( let’s just call a frikn spade a spade. i’d call it the same way if it was a dee) took out one of our best and it prob changed the outcome in that QF. Arguable but either way we lost a close final and probably ended our flag hopes. So, we have the added disappointment of a probable wasted season now.. And if gus does retire then our window looks narrower going forward So there’s the worry for Gus , the loss on its own but some cascading disappointments. A big moment for this teams legacy.

For a very long time I’ve felt like AFL is becoming harder and harder to enjoy. This incident and the follow up from the media and fans has really solidified for me just how little I like or enjoy football beyond watching Melbourne. The sheer lack of empathy for a man who is potentially never going to play again, is mind boggling. While in the same breath the media is defending and protecting a known thug who has form. It is despicable to hear and read and I’ve had just about enough of it. A part of me wants this season to be over for us ASAP so I can just stop caring about football and take a much needed break from the steaming pile of trash that the AFL, the media and the general fans have become.

If Steve May collected Nick Daicos in that fashion the media would have him hung, drawn and quartered. I just don’t get the ‘love-fest’ for this bloke. It’s almost like he’s developed this persona of being the tough but fair player that regularly gets away questionable acts of white line fever in games that he’s now somehow earns a friggin prize for it. It’s nauseating.

Has announced to the boys this season will be his last. https://www.melbournefc.com.au/news/1428993/michael-hibberd-calls-time-on-afl-career

This is pretty gutting to be honest and a little too real. If this is the end of Gus's career that's devastating. If this has a long term effect on his life in general, that's 100 times worse.

Even if you don’t think what Maynard did was calculated or callus or careless, you should still care about the welfare of the player who lost consciousness and is in a bad way. Yet very few in the media have expressed any concern for him at all. They are at pains to paint Maynard as a saint for bringing Gus a bottle of wine. How about instead of bin diving to support the perpetrator, you find out how the victim is doing. And what gets me the most, is if the situation was reversed and a Melbourne player such as May or Kosi or Viney did that to say a Daicos, they would be coming for them with pitchforks. It is pathetic.

Plenty of supporters were here today. The players, though reserved, had a bit more noise about them than the last Wednesday's open training. Usually they are having fun, getting amongst each other, and have smiles on their faces, only a little of this was observed. Hope the stress isn't getting to them. They need the win against Blue, and to get the Mojo on. Clarry is a worry, hope it is only a loading/recovery situation. Given that, he cannot seem to control his efforts when in a session. If tendon, then it can flare post 24–48 hrs after use, and be right to go again. He should be good, unless he picked up another niggle. BBB is a chance to replace JVR, as Grundy trained with the mids. Gawn sitting out the session, he was in training gear and had about 10 minutes of work with the trainer. Turner is also a chance to get a gig as a forward (bit of a "hail mary"), Tomlinson looking strong, is he likely to get the sub position? (maybe not flexible enough) JJ working hard and showing reliable kicking skills. Overall it was a quick session, started with run throughs, then went to kicking drills within the forward arc with 4 starting points in congestion and some kaos. They spilt into their lines. Backs finding spread and delivering through the middle. Mids going lateral before heading into the forward area. The Forwards delivering into their clump, where Stafford hangs out and directs. They grouped, signed some small balls for the crowd , and then went into some simple goal kicking drills. They left the field in drips and drops.

Tbh, I found the energy from the players quite lacking. The energy from the crowd and kids was terrific but almost deflated when the players came past. I think they're hurting & their confidence has taken a bit. It was a low energy session overall so perhaps a harsh judgement but it didn't fill me with confidence at all meeting a Carlton team on cloud 9 in full hunter mode. I think they're tired after 3 top 4s in 3 years getting bashed from pillar to post for lately, little reward. The injuries might have killed us I think. The remaining teams seem to have an energy and hunger about them that I don't sense from our group. Of course I hold hope and it was still a fun time, kids loved it and the DJ helped ,but feels a little inevitable to me right now. Like a looming exam you just know you're not prepared for. On the footy itself, a few observations: -I have some faith Turner would do ok up forward even though that's probably illogical. He's a neat set shot, holds the ball all the way down to his foot. It may be an interesting move to tell him to play 'defence' on Weitering. He'd make an OK fist of it I reckon if he played from behind. -Clarry absence very mysterious. Let's hope nothing to see there. -Trac looked a little....green? When he ran out but trained fine. Such a loose set shot, either middles them or sprays them. -AMW struggled with the short hit up kicks in the forward drill. -Ben Brown moved surprisingly well, looked no worse than Tom Mac tbh. -Energy in the midfield group far higher than in the fwd/backs group. Led by Viney. We are lucky to have him. -Fritsch and ANB in good spirits, more interactive with fans than most. -love the way Verrall moves and have a lot of hope for what he could become. -Spargo is a little too negatively demonstrative imo. Does it in games too. Touch of the Hogan's. Probably frustrated with his year I'd imagine. Can't think of much else, any questions shout out will do my best

Tracc’s new interview on the MFC app sure does make it sound like this is more than a 12 day break for Gus. I can’t believe the media narrative around this incident. Angus is the son in law of a former player who committed suicide from CTE. If this isn’t the case that makes people stop and think then I give up. I’ve never seen this incident happen before. There isn’t another comparable ‘smothering attempt that caused concussion’ from the last 20 years of football, or anything even remotely close to this - that’s over 3800 games of football. I don’t wonder why that is. I know why. It’s because it was incredibly dangerous. Players legitimately trying to smother the ball jump as high as they can, meaning their trajectory is straight up. There’s 30 examples of that a game.

Was there and was told by a supporter that Ben Brown has trained twice in the past week- once with the women.He looked all right to me. Will he replace JVR? When he went to walk off he thanked us for coming to training.Nice bloke.

You've posted some batturd crazy stuff over the past 20 years or so both on Demonology and here, but you've really crossed the line with this unhinged commentary. Demonlanders should be ashamed? How about Collingwood supporters chanting "Collingwooood" as Gus goes off on the stretcher. Melbourne supporters are rightly incensed by what has happened and as time has progressed, instead of becoming more calm, even the most rational Demon supporters I know have become even more upset. Your suggestion that we should feel some sympathy for Maynard, a thug with a history of premeditated violence - see Ed Langdon's "all duck, no dinner" incident, who clearly came out with a will to inflict damage and did so - is deeply insulting. All our sympathy is rightly with Angus Brayshaw and his family. The incident had a material impact on the outcome of a critical match because it limited our flexibility to send Petracca forward to score. All as a result of an act that can most generously be described as reckless. You absolutely have the right to post your opinion and I have the right to criticise it. You need to take a good long hard look in the mirror and reflect on what you see..

It was the anniversary of Danny Frawleys death yesterday. I'm sure these issues are resonating around the Brayshaw household (his wife Danielle is Danny Frawleys's daughter). I hope they are holding together.

I have loved watching him play in red and blue. He gave you everything he had every contest, every week. Left nothing on the field and took nothing for granted. Was an enormous part of our 2021 flag. Thank you for all the wonderful years you’ve given to our club. I hope you enjoy life after footy!

Haven't seen it mentioned here but great to see the old boys code of football violence swept away by new broom, Laura Kane. The sooner these "nothing to see" drongoes are removed from media positions, the better. It's football, not headball.

People are naturally very emotional over this incident, because of many factors we all know about. I understand Rollo’s view, because to be honest, at first glance I agreed with him it was a footy act and so be it. On further viewing and consideration, I realized it must be seen in light of the current AFL rules. It then becomes clear. Players have a Duty of Care to other players now. If you initiate contact via a bump to the head, it is no defence to then say you were only bracing for contact. Once you initiate contact, the duty of care requires you to not contact the head and cause injury. Whatever the motives of Maynard, in jumping off the ground, once he braced and hit Gus in the head with his shoulder, he committed an offence under the rules. His options were to not brace with his shoulder, but rather, keep his hands out to lessen impact, or avoid contact altogether. He chose the one banned option. The fact that Gus was concussed, goes solely to severity and penalty Now the media circus can begin. I only wish Gus all the best and couldn’t give a rat’s about Maynard.

Having just read all 22 pages, I'm glad I stayed off this thread for 48 hours. The amount of wrist slashing and doom and gloom is hilariously Demonland on the Saturday night of this posting, but would have been frustratingly mind melting any time before this. I've now processed some of my frustration from Thursday night and am ready to dig a little a deeper. I do want to remind some Demonlanders though of the lead up to the QF, where there was hardly a negative word written and people were supremely confident of a win. I thought we'd win and am shattered that we didn't, but the way some have hugely flipflopped based on one result is truly emotional muppetry. Maybe set more realistic expectations going into this week? Despite this, I can certainly understand the frustration, hence staying out of this thread for so long myself. However, if we can make the GF and it's against Collingwood, IMO we have them covered providing we kick straight. The atmosphere in the last quarter was very similar to much of the KB game in that Collingwood supporters were clearly packing themselves, because they saw their team being mauled at the contest and us generating multiple inside 50s and very good (and gettable) chances that should have been taken. But what's done is done and we have a chance to redeem ourselves next week. I'm hoping we can conjure a bit of the 2015 Premiers about us this finals series (ie, lose the QF, run rampant in the SF, beat an interstate side away from home in the PF and smash the original winner of the QF in the GF). I'm more worried though about getting past Carlton than I am playing Brisbane, but Brisbane would be a tough test too. One week at a time though. Selection will be fascinating again. My initial instinct was we'd have to bring in Grundy, but we may just resort to bringing in another runner (Jordon at this point) and bringing in Turner to play forward or back. And does Spargo come in for Chandler or Laurie? (don't bother answering this one, Picket) What I'd like most of all is, and I don't think we can win the flag unless this starts to happen, is for us to start the game properly. And I mean, we need our midfield, our engine room to start the game hard, fast and on from the first bounce. It's been at least 6 games since we started well. Our first quarters against Richmond (R20 with 3.5 to 5.4), North (R21 with 1.3 to 5.5!), Carlton (R22 with 1.0 to 1.3, but only due to our amazing defence and defensive system rather than our midfield winning clearance and territory), Hawthorn (R23 with 3.2 to 4.2), Sydney (R24 with 3.2 to 2.5) and then Collingwood (1.0 to 4.2). So we've won 1 first quarter in six weeks and that was arguably due to Sydney's inaccurate kicking. I can cop that in the H&A season, particularly if you know you've got fitness on your side and you're eventually running over teams, but in finals football, the pressure on every play is different and you don't want to spend the whole game chasing. Think back to the 2021 finals series. In the QF against Brisbane, we were 5.4 to 4.2 at quarter time. In the PF against Geelong, we were 5.3 to 1.0, and in the GF, we were 4.5 to 1.2. So we won all first quarters. That is what you need to do in finals. Simple as that. If we're going to go any further this year, we need to start doing two major things. 1) We need to start winning first quarters and putting early scoreboard pressure on our opposition. This puts them under more pressure to score, knowing how difficult we are to break down defensively, and that in turn, increases our scoring chances from turnover. Which, btw, we kept Collingwood to 1 point less than our average of 41 points conceded from turnover. So our defence and defensive system was exceptional on Thursday night. Which brings me to... 2) Where we let ourselves down against Collingwood, and if we're to go further this year, is we need to convert our scoring chances from turnover. We've averaged 51.8 points from turnover this season and on Thursday, we kicked 3.7.25 (!) from turnover to Collingwood's 6.4.40. We lost the game in conversion from turnover. So our method is strong, there is no need to panic in terms of wholesale personnel changes. We have the two forced changes and possibly whether we could get more out of Spargo than we did Chandler, but I'm not convinced on that front and will trust the FD there. If we win the first quarter and we convert our chances, we will be extremely difficult to beat and I'll go as far as saying, we won't be beaten if we do this. Apologies for the book. Lap it up. And thanks to @WheeloRatings for his brilliant score source stats in the Stats thread.

I will always remember Michael Hibberd running across Optus Oval with the Premiership Cup in his hand to share it with his brother. Thank you Hibbo a very hard tough team oriented player whose shoes will be hard to fill.❤️💙

It's how I feel about it too. People saying it's a "freak accident" - no, it's not. It's not like a 10 sided marking contest where a stray elbow struck the temple, or even a ground ball where a freak bounce left a player prone, or one of a million other unlucky situations. Let's be real here - players run at the ball carrier in an attempt to smother 100s of times a year. Often from directly front on. Despite this, never before in the history of the game has someone come down from a smother attempt like that. There was nothing unique about this situation at all. The Mitch Duncan comparison in my mind actually helps. Do you know why Duncan was spinning? It's because he watched the ball sail over his head, turning mid air to see it. As you would if you had genuine intent to smother. Maynard didn't even notice the ball flying over his head. Was already pointing everything he had at the head of no.10.

This thread has been one of the most disappointing things I've seen in my many years on Demonland. How can anyone who feels 'sorry' for Maynard, or who utters a syllable in his defence, call themselves a Demons' supporter? Maynard says he's a mate of Gus's, even dropped around with a bottle of wine to demonstrate it (aw shucks, what a guy). Therefore he obviously knows how the horrors of concussion have affected Gus's and his partner's families. Despite this, he jumped late at Gus when he was at his most vulnerable, totally exposed. Then, rather than simply putting out his hands, he twisted and lowered his shoulder so that he bashed him in the skull and knocked him out of the finals. Maynard knew exactly what he'd done (indeed, he'd apparently been talking about it in the days before) . Look at that pathetic footage of him trying to show the umpire that he was putting out his hands. Er no, you vicious mongrel, you didn't put out your hands, you put in your bloody shoulder. That act of what even Maynard's coach admits was malice (see the previous post by Leave it to Deever- McCrae says there wasn't much malice in it - ie there was some) more than likely cost us the game and could have cost us a premiership. If Maynard does get off on appeal, it will only be due to the brute force of the Collingwood media machine, which sprang into action as soon as the incident occurred (oh BT). So please, anybody on this site, don't add your voice to it.

I’m not a neurologist but with Gus’ history of head knocks and concussions, I’d be very very watchful and careful with Gus. He’s probably suffering badly right now. He’s definitely gone for the season now and will have to recover both physically and mentally. It was a dog act by that thug Maynard, on a bloke who 100% plays the contest fairly.

On a lighter note... it was Brayden Maynard who stood the mark when Dom Sheed kicked a certain excellent goal once upon a grand final. So, he'll always have that.

Confirmed - did not see him out there. No sign of Gus too (unsurprisingly). Was great seeing Petts and melky there, though wish the circumstances were better.

A few of the boys finished with practicising goal kicking, some nice shots by Viney. Grundy hung back to sign balls and chat with fans - that seems like investment to me!

What 'contest'? Brayshaw had kicked the bloody ball, Maynard jumped, missed touching the ball by a mile than turned his shoulder into Brayshaw's natural momentum. Where is this a 'contest"?????????????

What the hell have we done to the media!!! Goody makes reasonable comments post match in the emotion of it and gets lambasted Mcrae makes comments about it defending his player and it’s good old Fly

Haven't read this thread, but want to comment, seeing as there are many commentators suggesting it was a consequence of a football act. I'm surprised, he obviously expected to hit the player at some time. To brace and put his shoulder into the head of a completely open Gus was unacceptable. He left the ground and therefore couldn't control the impact, yet was able to brace and hit Gus in the head with his shoulder. He had the option of pulling his torso down and collecting Gus lower. Plenty of alternative scenario were possible, he chose the one that would hurt. If Gus cannot play again, sue him and anyone who suggest this should be part of our game. Gus did nothing wrong, except run towards a thug.

I actually find it sickening the support Maynard is getting in the media, and from so called journalists who have been pretty big on protecting the head at all costs

If they were ebullient we'd be hearing reports of "they don't care". Of course they're hurting, they know more than anyone what they let slip. I predict a big statement on Friday.

The other striking thing from that interview was tracc's evident distress when recalling the incident and aftermath. It's impossible to quantify the psychological impact on tracc and the rest of the team of seeing someone who tracc calls once of his best mates, a player with a terrible history of head knocks, knocked out cold 3 minutes into the game. They are not automatons. Sure you could argue the players should be able to compartmentalize, and i think they eventually did, but it is human nature for any group of players, let alone one so close they frequently express their love for teammates, to be impacted emotionally and psychologically by such an event in such a way that it impacts performance. And i think they were, just as they were when maxy went down against the Lions.

Strip away all the white noise and this is the critical point. Once you have elected to leave the ground you have a duty of care to any player you might cannon into as result of that choice. In fact once Maynard chose to bump the fact the action started as a smother becomes a furphy because a deliberate shoulder brace (which this was) that strikes the opponents head is still a head hit, no matter the lead up. I can't see how the fact he was allegedly jumping to smother is any different to choosing to jump off the ground to bump, or choosing to bump in any scenario for that matter - particularly in this scenario where even though it started as a smother it ended in a bump (by the by, on the smother, he got nowhere near it so in my book it was reckless form the get go). And as you note Jnr, it ended in a bump because that was the decision Maynard made. If he had time to turn his body and bump, he had time to make other choices. And it is hard to see how Maynard gets hurt making another choice like pirouetting out the way or continuing on chest on with arms out. Which takes away any argument he needed to bump protect himself - which will be the Pies main defence ie he had a split second to protect himself and it is instinct to do so (to which i'd also argue, if it is a natural instinct to turn and brace and bump in such scenarios then show me all the times a failed smother has resulted in that action or outcome. I cant think of any). Like smothering, bumping is a 'footy act'. An accepted footy act. Everyone loves a good bump. But it it is now understood by coaches, players and fans that if you elect to bump, again a 'footy act' which is fine to do, and hit the opponent in the head you will be suspended. EVEN IF HITTING THE OPPONENT WAS NOT YOUR INTENTION. How is electing to jump and smother, a 'footy act' which is also fine to do, and then choosing to bump and flushing a player in the head accidentally any different to electing to bump fairly but accidentally hitting the opponent in the head?

The game is not stuffed if he gets suspended because we see 100 smother attempts a week and not one of them ends in a guy laying unconscious on the turf. Plenty of ways to smother a ball, including by leaving the ground, that don’t end up with a player fighting for his career. See Kosi on Hoskin Elliot later in the game. Anyone who sees that side on vision and see Maynard turn his body, which is exactly the position from which I saw it happen sitting on the wing, will know Maynard went in with the intention to hurt Gus once it was obvious the ball went past him. To suggest anything else is deluded and naive.

I hope he gets one more chance to steal Charlie Cameron's motorbike.

A true hard but fair player. He, and the team, must be having mixed feelings with what happened to Gus. Thanks for your service Hibbo. 🫡

I have to say the comments by Gawn and Trac worry me greatly, he was so close a few years ago to being done. Evidence suggests that these concussions are cumulative, and I can't help thinking about Paddy. I have been guilty of taking Gus for granted, we'll really miss him on several levels. Really hope to be wrong.

If this [censored] was a better defender they’d have won a flag. Shame.

Yep. There's been no comment about Brayshaw's welfare that I have seen, although I like others here have been less engaged since that atrocity. At least one neutral mate - a Bulldogs supporter - is of the view that the action by Maynard was deliberate and targeted. That does not seem to be even a remote consideration for the football commentariat who are agonising about "football actions" The problem with calling it a football action - they are referring to the attempted smother - is that it ceases to be a football action when Maynard turns his shoulder and drives it into Brayshaw. By that time the smother had failed. Another point: I was at the game, on the wing, and like others around me I did not see it live. Why? Because I was watching the ball. The point being this was an off-the-ball hit. Three weeks and damn the AFL if they let block headed sniper wriggle off.

Thought this was interesting

Cheers for the update. I honestly wouldn't be surprised if last year's straight finals exit has crept into the mindset of some of the players, and all of a sudden there is that fear in the back of their minds. As you say, there is probably an element of mental fatigue from not only Thursday nights game but also from finishing top 4 three years in a row. It can become extremely taxing when you putting in all the hard work for little reward in September.

Exactly. We love what Gus brings to the club and we know what a great player he is. We also know that if he retires we lose a top 10 gun player for absolutely nothing. It hurts to think about because it makes us a weaker side. But we are all selfish, and the bottom line is that he is 27 years old. He has 50+ years of life left to live. He is incredibly smart and will be successful in many other things outside of football. He is about to get married. Maybe have a family of his own. To put all that at risk for football would be a brave move but a dumb one. I said the same thing about Paddy McCartin, football is a season of life, it’s not your whole life. To still have a brain that fully functions 30 years from now trumps any football achievement and any success he could possibly have.

Well gone Hibbo, the GF will be your 200th - go out with another flag!

I'm not an alarmist and I try to be positive but it's only a game. I do not want Gus to have any short term or long term issues related to CTE

No, Maynard was reckless in jumping in the air and lunging towards Brayshaw. Brayshaw was not contesting the ball, he had the ball and was disposing of it. He was open without an ability to protect himself and Maynard had a duty of care. Maynard was clearly determined to "make him earn it" and propelled himself into Brayshaw in a bumping action with elbow tucked and hitting Brayshaw with his shoulder. Whether it happened after he was attempting to smother is irrelevant. Once he had missed the smother he could have done a number of things to stop him cannoning into Brayshaw but instead of trying to minimise the force he barrelled into him, causing a concussion. Part of the duty of care is also making sure he does not act recklessly when attempting to smother, tackle, mark etc. He must get at least 3 weeks or the AFL will again be seen to be a hypocritical joke.

There have been at least 15 instances of players being suspended this season where the perpetrator has not so much targeted the head or been negligent but more so just been really unlucky The Hunter suspension a standout and numerous sling tackles where the player being tackled not being hurt at all. Other bumps have connected to the head with very little impact but still carried with it, suspensions Fast forward to the Maynard hit and there was nothing innocuous about it. The hit was a clean hit and was negligent as well as being vicious, nasty, pointed and violent So that Maynard hit can't be compared to the numerous 1 & 2 match penalties handed out for what I would describe as perhaps a slight step up from incidental contact

Club to read this and implement fix: Finals Fix: Manic Magpies expose Dees' massive flaw - but here's why they should have to win it all without Maynard