Angus Brayshaw

Brayshaw was linked to the Melbourne Football Club in the weeks leading to the draft and was ultimately recruited by the club with their second selection and third overall in the 2014 national draft. He was predicted to make a Round 1 debut after strong performances with Melbourne's affiliate team, the Casey Scorpions, in Victorian Football League (VFL) practice matches despite not featuring for Melbourne in the NAB Challenge. He debuted in the 26-point win against Gold Coast at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Round 1 and laid a match-high nine tackles before being substituted off in the fourth quarter. After a string of consistent performances, he was awarded the Round 10 nomination for the Rising Star for his efforts in the annual Queen's Birthday Clash against Collingwood, in which he recorded eighteen disposals, six tackles, seven inside-50s, four goal assists, and a goal. His performance was praised by former Melbourne captain Garry Lyon, and he predicted that Brayshaw would be a "200-gamer and leader of the Demons."

Brayshaw missed only one match during his debut season due to being rested against Fremantle at Domain Stadium in Round 22. His season was acclaimed within the AFL industry, particularly his mid-season form, where his tenacity and desperation around the ball was highlighted with comparisons to Joel Selwood, in addition to former Brisbane Lions captain, Jonathan Brown, commending his toughness. He was noted as an equal favourite for the Rising Star, alongside Carlton midfielder Patrick Cripps, by Herald Sun chief football writer, Mark Robinson, after his performance against Geelong in Round 12. He ultimately finished fifth in the award after a drop in form in the second half of the season. He was recognised among his peers by finishing second in the AFL Players Association best first year player award, behind Sydney midfielder, Isaac Heeney; furthermore, he finished eleventh in Melbourne's best and fairest count.

Brayshaw was highly rated by the AFL players heading into the 2016 season, whereby he was named the second-best player in the league recruited from the 2014 and 2015 drafts. In the opening match of the 2016 NAB Challenge against Port Adelaide, he injured his knee five seconds into the match after a tackle from Port Adelaide midfielder Hamish Hartlett, and the injury forced him to miss the remainder of the pre-season competition. In a bid to play in the Round 1 match against Greater Western Sydney, he played for Casey in a VFL practice match, where he recorded 17 disposals and a goal. He ultimately missed the Round 1 win against Greater Western Sydney and played his first AFL match for the season in Round 2 in the 13-point loss against Essendon at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, where he recorded nine disposals. He was omitted the next week for the match against North Melbourne at Blundstone Arena due to looking "tired".

Brayshaw returned the next week and played in the Round 4 and 5 wins against Collingwood and Richmond, in which he garnered fifteen and nine disposals, respectively, before being dropped again for the Round 6 match against St Kilda at Etihad Stadium. The same weekend in the VFL match against Essendon, he sustained a concussion after a football kicked by teammate, Alex Neal-Bullen, hit him in the back of the head. Two weeks later, he suffered a second concussion when he had a head clash in the VFL match against Sandringham and he was placed on the sidelines for an "extended period of time". He played his first match in four weeks when he played for Casey against North Ballarat, where he accumulated twenty-nine disposals and kicked two goals. He returned to the senior side in the thirty-six point loss against St Kilda at Etihad Stadium in Round 17 in which he recorded twenty-three disposals and seven clearances. He played the remainder of the season and finished with ten matches in total for the season, which saw him fall to twenty-third in Melbourne's best and fairest count.

Brayshaw had a reduced workload in the 2017 pre-season after injuring his calf in January and played the first two matches of the AFL season before he was omitted from the senior side for the Round 3 match against Geelong at Etihad Stadium. AFL Media reporter, Ben Guthrie, noted the calf injury was a key reason for his slow start to the season and he was yet to live up to his potential due to persistent injuries throughout his early career. Former Melbourne coach, Paul Roos, noted that although the public hadn't seen Brayshaw's best yet, he was Melbourne's most exciting prospect for 2017. In late April playing in the VFL, he received his third concussion in twelve months after receiving a bump from North Ballarat player, Hayden Walters. There were suggestions by the media that the multiple concussions in a short period of time would prematurely end his AFL career, however, these claims were quickly dismissed by Melbourne with head of football, Josh Mahoney, saying it was only a minor concussion.

Brayshaw missed three weeks of football and in his return match in the VFL against the Northern Blues, he was concussed again when he was bumped by Carlton listed player, Jed Lamb. With the club saying they would "map out a plan" to ensure he could play consistent football without the risk of concussion, reports emerged that the club had granted him indefinite leave to recover from his fourth concussion in twelve months. He was training two days after the reports emerged, with senior coach, Simon Goodwin, stating the reports of indefinite leave were inaccurate but Brayshaw would not return to playing for a while. He missed nine weeks of football before returning in the VFL Round 14 match against Essendon, wearing a helmet after receiving advice from former St Kilda player Nathan Burke, who received multiple bumps during his career. He returned to the AFL for the twenty-four point win against St Kilda in Round 21 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground; in the first quarter, he received a heavy bump from Koby Stevens; however, he was uninjured from the collision. Former player and a commentator during the match, Jason Dunstall, noted all the commentators were worried straight after the bump, but Brayshaw recovered and "used the ball well and made good decisions. [Dunstall] thought it was a fantastic fight back from when we had our heart in our mouths" and he was named in Melbourne's best players by AFL Media, the Herald Sun and The Age. He played the remainder of the season and finished with five AFL matches.

Brayshaw's performances during the 2018 AFL season showed the competition what he is capable of, averaging a career-high 26.1 disposals and kicking 14 goals for the season, with the Demons having vastly improved season, eventually making the preliminary final. Brayshaw's 2018 season was highlighted with a 37-disposal, 3-goal game against the Adelaide Crows in Round 10 as well as a career-high of 39 disposals and a goal the next week. His season was capped off with a 3rd-place finish in the 2018 Brownlow medal, polling 21 votes.

In 2021, Brayshaw played in Melbourne's premiership winning team, as Melbourne broke a 57 year premiership drought with a 74 point victory over the Western Bulldogs in the 2021 AFL Grand Final at Perth Stadium.

In the 2023 Qualifying Final, Brayshaw was concussed after being struck in the head in an attempted smother by Collingwood player Brayden Maynard. Brayshaw was substituted off immediately and was unable to play in the Demons' semi-final the following week; while Maynard was referred to the AFL Tribunal and ultimately cleared, causing controversy. It was Brayshaw's last game: after training with the club through the subsequent preseason, he retired two weeks prior to the start of the 2024 season due to his ongoing concussion issues.