MANY of the most successful midfields contain a gun ball-winner who sacrifices elements of their individual game for the betterment of the team. If Fremantle capitalises on a terrific start to this season, Andrew Brayshaw may well be the player in that role we are lauding. 

Brisbane club champion Josh Dunkley is celebrated by the back-to-back premier as the player who "completed" its midfield and allowed stars Lachie Neale, Hugh McCluggage and Will Ashcroft to hunt the ball and dominate big finals.  

A decade back it was Richmond captain Trent Cotchin who evolved from a ball-winner to a selfless midfield leader who saw less of the footy but did whatever was required in his bash-and-crash style to help the team win.  

Brayshaw's role for the past two weeks has been to keep one eye on the opposition's most dangerous midfielder and make sure they don't get opportunities to burst forward in space. 

It's a role he has shared with much-improved midfielder Matthew Johnson and one that the Dockers have celebrated internally for its selflessness and importance, even if the drop-off in Brayshaw's ball-winning has prompted questions about his form. 

For the 26-year-old co-captain, the motivation to adjust his game whenever needed is clear as Justin Longmuir's team builds momentum after a 5-1 start to the season. 

"I just want to win. I just want to win games of footy," Brayshaw told AFL.com.au this week. 

"Joel Corey, our midfield coach, and 'JL' think that the best way for us to win is to have not only me, but multiple guys through our midfield who have that defensive mindset. 

"So I don't mind if it results in me having a little bit less of the ball. If it results in us winning games of footy, then that's what I want to do."

Some teams refer to the role Brayshaw has played for the past fortnight as a "structural mid", helping the team keep its shape at stoppages, protecting the corridor, and ensuring a balance between attack and defence is maintained. 

Brayshaw has quietly filled a similar role in the past, while Johnson and Corey Wagner have also gone into games with a structural/defensive role assigned to them.  

The interest in Brayshaw playing that role is because of his obvious ability as an All-Australian level ball-winner, ranking No.2 at Fremantle last season for clearances (5.0), disposals (27.0), contested possessions (11.0), and inside 50s (4.8). 

This year his disposal average has dropped to 22.2 across the Dockers' first six games, while his forward entries (3.3) and score assists (0.7) are at their lowest levels since 2020.  

Teammates and coaches have noted the "selfless" role he is filling and the leadership he is displaying as Shai Bolton and Murphy Reid play crucial attacking roles when in the midfield, and Johnson and Neil Erasmus take on more responsibility. 

They have also highlighted that Brayshaw probably won't fill the role every week, despite it falling to him in back-to-back matches, with the 2022 club champion starring as recently as round two with 39 disposals and a goal against Melbourne. 

Brayshaw said the role he had filled recently was more critical against some teams, with Collingwood and West Coast in the past fortnight requiring attention because of the attacking patterns Nick Daicos and Harley Reid run.  

"Most teams have one or two players who after a stoppage is won or lost, they're trying to get forward and be really aggressive," Brayshaw said.  

"If we don't have someone swivelling their head and going and referencing that player, they can have really dangerous looks going out the other way.

"The last couple of weeks, that role has fallen onto me being that last mid to leave the stoppage and being that mid who turns his head in case they're trying to get forward on us. 

"It results in sometimes playing a little bit more like a defender in some instances, but more often than not you turn, maybe no one's out there, and then you just continue normal midfield patterns."

Perhaps the best way to illustrate the importance of the role Brayshaw has played is to look back at last year's finals loss to Gold Coast and the game-breaking period in the second quarter that saw the Dockers concede four unanswered goals.  

During that window, the Suns attacked from stoppages and sent runners surging forward, getting behind Fremantle's defensive layers and building a 25-point half-time lead. 

For Longmuir, it was a period that encapsulated the Dockers' inconsistency in 2025 and prompted a pre-season focus on nailing the little details and mastering roles. 

"We fell apart with our attention to detail. It can be as little as one metre here versus one metre there with your defensive positioning or your running pattern," Longmuir told AFL.com.au during the pre-season, reflecting on that quarter. 

The Dockers have not made the same mistakes this season, with the team ranking a clear No.1 in the AFL for scores conceded from stoppages (18.5) and No.1 for overall points conceded (63.2 per game). 

Longmuir joked after the Dockers' win in Western Derby 62 that he was an offensive coach and more concerned about points scored, but there is clearly still a strong defensive side to the Dockers' game as they balance it with more powerful ball movement. 

Complementing an in-form backline with a smart and selfless midfielder who is willing to sacrifice attacking elements of his game is proving a winning mix. For Brayshaw, that matters more than anything that might show up on the stats sheet.