Andrew Gaff’s Brownlow medal hopes are crushed after his brutal hit on Andrew Brayshaw could see him miss the rest of West Coast’s season.
Stunned Eagles supporters watched on in silence as Andrew Gaff belted first-year Docker Andrew Brayshaw 100 metres off the ball and left him with a broken jaw and four displaced teeth.
Mid-way through the third quarter and holding a sizeable lead, the Eagles looked set to bank another Derby victory with little controversy.
Yet Gaff’s uncharacteristic act left Brayshaw on the deck for an extended period, too afraid to remove his mouthguard because he thought his teeth were going to fall out.
Brayshaw was assisted from the ground with blood pouring from his face, and the melee that followed was reminiscent of the ‘demolition derby’ of 2000, which saw a total of 16 matches of suspensions handed out to participating players.
West Coast’s premiership ambitions took yet another blow with Nick Riewoldt predicting Gaff would miss at least six weeks for his actions.
The tribunal are certain to compare Gaff’s punch to Tomas Bugg’s hit on Callum Mills last year, which attracted a 6-match ban.
Barry Hall’s hit on Brent Staker in 2008 left Staker unconscious and with a broken jaw. Hall’s hit meant he received a 7-match ban, but with the AFL and Gillon McLachlan determined to eradicate ‘non-football acts’, Gaff could cop an even longer suspension in order to remove one hit punches from the game.
Fremantle coach Ross Lyon was visibly upset in his press conference, claiming his young star was in ‘a real mess’, and was in hospital preparing for surgery tonight.
West Coast are already without ruckman Nic Naitanui who ruptured his ACL and Coleman medal winning forward Josh Kennedy, and with a trip to the Adelaide oval against Port Adelaide, they could face their biggest test yet.
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