Player Radar 2019 | Angus Brayshaw

Angus Brayshaw had a breakout season in 2018 and finished the year as one of the top defenders in SuperCoach. But after the loss of defender status, is he still a relevant option for our SuperCoach sides?

Player: Angus Brayshaw
Team: Melbourne
Age: 23
Price: $526,900
Position: Midfielder
Games played in 2018: 19
2018 average: 97.1
100+ scores: 10
90+ scores: 11

PROS

After moving into a more permanent midfield role early last season, Brayshaw’s numbers improved drastically.

Before the role change, Brayshaw only averaged 19 disposals per game and 75 SuperCoach points. However, after the role change, he averaged around 28 disposals and 101 SuperCoach points per game.

But I think he can go even bigger and to illustrate my point, I’m going to discuss his finish to 2018.

In the final month of the season, the Demons played the Suns, Swans, Eagles and Giants; a tricky run home to say the least. Across that stretch, Brayshaw averaged a whopping 115.5 points and tonned up against every single side.

Now if Brayshaw manages to sustain that rate of scoring across a longer period, he could easily become a top eight midfielder by the end of the season. And going by that logic, you could argue that Brayshaw (currently priced at an average 97.1) is at least 10 points underpriced, given what he is capable of.

If his start to the JLT Series is anything to go by, he could be on track to do just that. Against the Tigers in JLT1, Brayshaw recorded a game-high 37 disposals (14 contested), 10 tackles, 10 clearances and 11 marks from only 69% TOG.

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My last pro for Brayshaw is his loss of DPP. Now this does sound strange but when you think about it, it could be a blessing in disguise.

If Brayshaw was still available as a defender, he would easily be one of the most popular picks in the entire game. But as a pure midfielder, most people will overlook him in favour of bigger names such as Patrick Cripps, Clayton Oliver etc. As a result, Brayshaw will be quite a unique pick and could provide a handy point-of-difference in your H2H match-ups.

CONS

Although last season was a step in the right direction, Brayshaw has never proven himself to be a consistent scorer across the entirety of a season.

Over his career (albeit short), Brayshaw has never averaged 100+ in a season. For the same price you could buy a proven performer such as Josh Kennedy or Rory Sloane, who both averaged under 100 for the first time since 2011.

Therefore, if you do pick him you are taking quite a gamble, considering the vast amount of options available in the midfield.

The other worry I have with Brayshaw, is what I have termed, ‘The Viney effect’.

After Viney’s injury in Round 16, Brayshaw went on a tear and received a substantial increase in midfield time. However, when Viney returned during the finals, his scoring took a nose-dive and he didn’t score a single hundred.

So, I did some number crunching (post R16) and this is what I found:

Without Viney, Brayshaw averaged 106.4, with a low score of 80
With Viney, he only averaged 86, with a low score of 76

Based on the data, it’s clear that Brayshaw’s scoring and overall ceiling takes a considerable hit when Viney is in the same lineup. But that was only from three games, so there isn’t much data to go off.

VERDICT

For the moment, Brayshaw is not in my side. Even though he’s almost a lock to go 100+, I still can’t see him breaking into the top eight midfielders at the end of the season.

So, unless he dominates JLT2, I don’t think you can justify picking him with all the midfield options available.

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