AFL footballer Hamish Brayshaw has said an open letter he wrote to the AFL arose from his frustration, highlighting inconsistency in the league tribunal and match review panel.
Brayshaw, who is contracted to the West Coast Eagles and currently plays for East Perth in the WAFL, read his open letter on radio station SEN on Wednesday.
The 26-year-old also read his letter on his BackChat podcast, which he hosts with former Eagles senior Will Schofield and Dan Const.
In the letter, he accused the league tribunal and the match review panel of “single-handedly destroying the game.”
His main frustration stemmed from a knock his older brother, Angus, suffered last season.
Collingwood’s Brayden Maynard avoided suspension for a hit on Melbourne’s Angus Brayshaw, which eliminated the Demons player in their qualifying final last year.
Maynard won a premiership with the Magpies, while Angus announced his retirement from the game in February, aged 28.
Speaking to Mark Gibson on ABC Radio Perth on Thursday, Brayshaw said his letter arose from his frustration, which began with the beating of his brother.
“It’s been a little frustrating for me to watch and support the game over the past few months. It culminated in me writing a little letter,” he said.
“A lot of it has (to do with Angus). It started there. “That’s a very personal thing and the emotions of that are high.
“But even throughout the year… the different back and forth that you have to take into account, and then some things that are not taken into account. All of that has come up just this year. It’s not too difficult to see why the “The public and football fans are frustrated by what is happening.”
In his letter, Brayshaw was highly critical of the inconsistent rulings of the AFL tribunal and match review panel this season, highlighting how Brisbane’s Charlie Cameron was able to avoid suspension for good character, but Tom Barrass was suspended for a similar incident next week.
But the winner of last year’s Sandover Medal for WAFL best and fairest was highly critical of an incident last year that effectively ended his older brother’s career.
“My brother will never play football again in his entire life due to a bump that turned into a bump on his head,” Brayshaw wrote in his letter.
“As much as it killed me to see that, I can put aside my feelings for Angus and say that, deep down, Maynard was trying to smother the ball in a qualifying final, so technically it was a football act.
“You certainly didn’t care at all about the result there and Brayden won the premiership. That’s a precedent.”
He later went on to write:
“I can’t physically watch the Melbourne Demons play football anymore because my brother’s brain is going to be screwed for the rest of his life and you didn’t think that was enough for a week off.”
The ABC has contacted the AFL for comment.
Brayshaw told ABC Radio Perth that what he wants is more clarity on what actions on the field are punished and what are not.
“I don’t think it’s going to create any widespread change. It’s a strict rule. Refereeing is difficult, judging is difficult. Being on the match review panel is difficult. It’s a difficult sport to judge. But just having some kind of consistency “, he claimed.
“If we can get five percent more consistency throughout the year, I think that would be a win.”
Hamish Brayshaw’s open letter to the AFL
Dear AFL,
I usually swear here and act like an idiot, however there will be no profanity or hyperbole in this letter. These are my honest and bewildered thoughts as a current player and lifelong fan of the world’s greatest game.
The court and the match review panel are single-handedly destroying the game. You are making it impossible to play with good spirits, you are making it impossible to judge and you are not far from making it impossible to support.
Over the last 12 months, this is my interpretation of the rules of the game based on what I hear and see coming directly from the AFL;
Protect the head at all costs, obviously unless a blow to the head is the result of a football act, but then it depends on how hard you are hit in that football act and if the player had other alternatives, but also the player needs to take into account the potential to cause damage, but of course it should not depend on the opponent’s outcome, unless of course it results in a concussion, but even then it depends on the intention, but of course a player has right to attack the ball with good technique, but it doesn’t matter if the opponent runs headlong, as all children who play this sport are taught not to do when they grow up, but then of course it depends on the state of the game and the time of the year, it depends on whether or not we need to make an example of someone, but then let’s not forget if they have had a clean record in the past and do charity work, but obviously that can only matter once. and never again because from now on that doesn’t count, and it depends on the player and the team he’s on, but really it comes down to protecting the head because we’re seeing more players retire with concussions than ever before. before, but we’re still letting a guy play next week after he hit someone in the face in the goal because it wasn’t hard enough to hurt him.
I have grown up all my life surrounded by football. Playing and watching football, my family has been engrossed in the AFL system for decades and I no longer have the foggiest idea what’s going on.
My brother will never play soccer again in his entire life due to a choking jump that turned into a bump that collided with his head. As much as it killed me to see that, I can set aside my feelings for Angus and say that down to the smallest detail, Maynard was trying to smother the ball in a qualifying final, so it was technically a football act.
You certainly didn’t care at all about the result there and Brayden won the premiership. That is the precedence. That was the biggest turning point for the court that I can remember, and you chose to protect the sanctity of the game over the protection of the player. I don’t agree or disagree with that, but it breaks me that you’re constantly doing backflips in that position.
Peter Wright and Toby Green, four weeks and one week respectively for football events without much difference. Jeremy Finlayson got less than Peter Wright for a homophobic slur that once again highlights that no one in the AFL really knows what’s going on in court, they just make it up as they see fit.
Matt Crouch has been given a week to pick up the ball the way all kids who play football are taught to do. There are square meters of Jesse Hogan’s goal hitting his defender in the face, and he admitted to punching hard to try to push his opponent. The AFL’s response: “We are clearly not convinced it was anything more than insignificant.” They punched a guy in the face and since it didn’t hurt him, they didn’t give him a week. He punishes the action, not the result, unless the result is that they are okay. Ask my little brother Andrew if an intentional punch to the face has the potential to cause harm. Incredible.
We’ve heard enough about the fact that Charlie Cameron was let off the hook for being a good guy, but Tom Barrass can’t get away for a week for the same thing. Apparently the get out of jail free card only appears once in the deck.
This is my last point and I’m going to swear, so throw it out if you want. Tom Barrass will stay in Perth and miss one game for a dangerous tackle. I don’t think there was much else he could have done differently. Walters finished the game and doesn’t have a concussion, but sure, still give Barrass a week if that’s the stance, protect the head at all costs. I can’t physically watch the Melbourne Demons play football anymore because my brother’s brain will be screwed for the rest of his life and you didn’t think that was enough for a week off.
AFL you are the best game in the world but right now you are a joke. Your systems to protect the player and maintain the integrity of the game are broken and desperately need to be fixed. Before they can be resolved, you must understand the criteria by which you wish to govern the game. It must be understandable to the public and must be followed. You can’t choose when to discard certain things and when to change your views on others. It has to change, otherwise this game will become something unrecognizable and it will happen very quickly.
Yours sincerely,
Hamish Brayshaw
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