Fremantle’s Andrew Brayshaw has produced some impressive performances in his short career to date.
But none more so than against Richmond on Sunday as the Dockers edged back into the eight with a hard-fought four-point win at Optus Stadium.
Brayshaw racked up career highs in disposals (39), tackles (12) and clearances (8) and had 10 score involvements in a colossal showing against the Tigers.
He also had 11 touches and five clearances when the game was on the line in the final term.
It prompted Garry Lyon to compare his display to that of a vintage Joel Selwood performance with the Geelong captain so often taking charge whenever the Cats have needed him to.
“If he (Brayshaw) was here in Victoria, the rave reviews on him would be along the Joel Selwood raves,” he said on SEN Breakfast.
“That’s how good he is, this kid.
“That game he played on the weekend, if you didn’t see this game he played, the Andrew Brayshaw performance would sit comfortably in any of Joel Selwood’s.
“That’s the highest praise I can give him.
“The game is in the balance, Richmond are coming, everything’s happening. When that happened at Geelong, you just go, ‘watch Joel’. Andrew Brayshaw did that, he could have been the number 14 for Geelong, that’s how good he was.
“I can give him no more higher praise.”
Those efforts were not lost on coach Justin Longmuir who spoke highly of Brayshaw who stepped up in the absence of injured captain Nat Fyfe to drive the Dockers to victory.
“I was really, really pleased with Andy,” he told reporters.
“He’s been working on a lot of areas of his game. He’s had a very, very good season and I just thought his last quarter, his leadership, he had a will to win and he never stopped trying.
“I thought it was such a team effort. But he probably stood out in that last quarter just with some of those efforts defensively to win the ball back.”
Brayshaw is enjoying a career-best season in 2021 which has seen him average close to 29 disposals across 18 matches.
His presence will be vital when the eighth-placed Dockers look to cement themselves in the top eight against Brisbane in Perth this weekend.
Brayshaw is TopSport's Best of the Best for Round 20.
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