Mark Brayshaw, father of Fremantle Docker Andrew, has opened up on the punch that left his son with a broken jaw and three displaced teeth.
West Coast’s Andrew Gaff was hit with an eight-game ban for the incident, and Mark has explained his thought process immediately after the action.
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“The first I really knew about this, I got a phone call from the club doctor at the Dockers,” Mark told SEN Breakfast.
“I used to be the finance guy at Freo, and Ken Withers (the club doctor) was there. I’m a friend of his.
“He rang me and he said, we think he (Andrew) has got a broken jaw, his teeth are pushed back, but it’s not too bad.
“I know that sounds silly, so I heard that, if Ken Withers thinks it isn’t too bad, it isn’t too bad.
“Once Ken Withers gave me the comfort that Andrew was going to be ok, I started thinking of the bigger agenda.
“I suddenly started thinking at the time, you could just see the game change and the dynamic.
“I started to watch young Andrew Gaff and he looked horrible out there.
“I just thought, oh god. I knew the narrative would change.
“It was just nasty and horrible.
“I found myself thinking, here is a young bloke who has made a blue, he has got free agency, he has got the finals and maybe the Brownlow Medal…it was just horrible.”
Mark also revealed he has spoken with Gaff’s parents, while saying he is happy his other son, Eagles youngster Hamish, has been able to connect Andrew Brayshaw and Gaff.
“We met the other day,” Mark said of the parents.
“Craig, he rang me, and left a message. I called him back straight away. We had a really good chat.
“He apologised and I said, it’s not really for me to accept it, but both of us, Debra and I, accept your apology.
“Please, in amongst all your considerations, don’t worry about us. I said, I wish I could shake your hand and have a beer about it in person.
“The other dimension of this is my other son Hamish.
“He gave me a lift home from the ground. By the time we got home, we had analysed it and he had some footage.
“You can actually see my Andrew spread his legs a little bit and lower his centre of gravity.
“Hamish said to me, Andrew Gaff is one of his best mates, he is just the most delightful bloke you’ve ever met.
“My Andrew has inadvertently has lowered his centre of gravity and a chest punch has become a face punch.
“When I spoke to his dad, I said, these things happen, he will be fine, but how are you feeling? He and his wife were upset and embarrassed and apologetic.
“It’s a horrible thing to be in.”
Listen to Mark Brayshaw’s chat with Garry Lyon, Tim Watson and Sam Edmund on SEN Breakfast in the player below