Western Australia will come to a standstill when the West Coast Eagles and Fremantle Dockers lock horns in Western Derby XLIX at Optus Stadium this Saturday night.
The 49th edition of the state’s biggest sporting event will come eight months after what many consider to be the most spiteful derby in recent history, and for very good reason.
It was in the previous meeting between the two sides where one piece of stupidity from Andrew Gaff saw him cop an eight-match suspension from the AFL judiciary, sidelining him from the Eagles’ premiership win in September.
Midway through the third quarter, at which point the Eagles were leading by 50 points, Gaff swung a punch to the face of Freo’s Andrew Brayshaw.
The result? Brayshaw suffered a broken jaw and was not able to eat solid food for at least a month.
It was the most sickening on-field incident off the ball since Barry Hall’s brutal punch to the face of Brent Staker a decade earlier, and worse than the blow to the head Harris Andrews copped from an errant Jeremy Cameron elbow at the Gabba earlier in the 2018 season.
A number of fights ensued after Gaff’s brain fade before the Eagles restored order, winning by 58 points.
It added to a history of spiteful derbies since the fixture’s inception in 1995, including the infamous ‘Demolition Derby’ of 2000 and the Selwood-Headland saga of 2007, in which the former made offensive comments about the latter’s daughter.
Gaff was sent straight to the judiciary the following day, where he copped the longest suspension for any player in a decade. He watched the grand final from the MCG stands, and the missed the first two rounds of this season.
He returned from suspension last week, picking up 35 disposals as the Eagles defeated the Pies in a rematch of last year’s decider at the MCG.
Unsurprisingly, he and Dom Sheed – whose goal from a tight angle with less than two minutes remaining sealed the Eagles’ premiership – were booed loudly by the pro-Collingwood crowd.
But both held their composure, as Sheed nailed a final-quarter goal to again sink the hearts of the Pies fans.
Fremantle, on the other hand, withstood a furious final quarter fightback from St Kilda at home last Sunday, hanging on to win by five points and move to 2-1 for the season.
This followed on from their 82-point thrashing of North Melbourne at home, and their three-point loss to the Gold Coast Suns at Metricon Stadium in Round 1 in which they were run down in the final quarter.
With both sides 2-1 for the season, this Saturday night’s Western Derby will prove to be crucial to their chances of making the finals in 2019.
(Photo by Daniel Carson/AFL Media/Getty Images)
While the Eagles are expected to again feature at the business end of the season, the Dockers have recruited strongly, landing the likes of Rory Lobb, Jesse Hogan and Travis Colyer in their bid to return to September for the first time since 2015.
Adam Simpson’s side will be the home side for the first of the two derbies in 2019, but it wouldn’t be surprising if Andrew Gaff cops it from the Freo faithful, given the events of Round 20 last season.
Two-time Coleman Medallist Josh Kennedy has pleaded for Eagles fans not to boo Brayshaw, saying that there was no point in doing so after both players moved on from it.
In fact, Gaff and Brayshaw shook hands prior to a pre-season match between the two sides in March, which the Eagles won by ten goals (pre-season matches do not count towards a player’s suspension).
But come Saturday night, any friendships the players may have will be put aside as the two teams go to war in front of 60,000 fans at Optus Stadium.
Jim the Geo
Roar Rookie
I'd suggest that dubbing a match 'spiteful' before it has happened is either a simple error or a spot of hopeful 'schadenfreude'. Gaff and Brayshaw have moved on, the Eagles and Dockers have moved on, only a few Bogan fans and various stirrers in the media seek to keep this particular pot on the boil.
EaglesMan
Roar Rookie
Correct, there is no room for punches or violence in any game. He has copped his punishment, some people with forgive him and some wont't that is life.
EaglesMan
Roar Rookie
He made a mistake, and he wouldnt care about your forgivness, he has closed that chapter with the Brayshaws, What he did was wrong? Yes it was horrible and he has to live with it forever however he has to move on with his career.
Seymorebutts
Roar Rookie
''Saturdays spiteful Derby..'' hold your horses champ, we wont know that until after the event... maybe it will, maybe it wont. As for Gaff, its an Eagles home game... hes going to have 60,000 people cheering his every move, the only people supporting Freo will be in the box with Ross....Its the return fixture that could be the problem ;-)
Doctor Rotcod
Roar Rookie
I hear that Wilson is at home with a new baby and his sleep patterns are being disrupted. Please forgive him. At least he kept getting the ball. The repercussions may be greater this weekend if he continues in that vein.
IAP
Guest
We're not a religious country; he doesn't need forgiveness.
Jack
Guest
No, his penalty was self-inflicted! He’s only the victim if people that weren’t the victim ie people like you and us that weren’t the victim as were the Brayshaw’s don’t forgive him and move on, as the Brayshaw’s have done!
Don Freo
Roar Rookie
I remember yet another finals appearance but I can't say crowd behaviour ever being an issue. What was the complaint?
Jonboy
Roar Rookie
Brayshaw is showing absolutely no signs of backing off, his intensity at the football has been first class. Averaging 17 disposals and 6 tackles per game in three games to date, it is amazing after what this kid has been through. To suggest he will play at Peel this week is stupidity, at its best. Apart from kicking two out on the full he is going extra well. If anyone goes back to Peel it should be Wilson kicked 5 out on the full against the Saints, plus he is sadly out of form.
DTM
Guest
Personally, I find any booing childish and ignorant. I particularly dislike the way umpires are abused week in week out on these forums, social media and at the ground - most often by people who don't know the rules or are too one eyed to recognise that the umpires get it right much more often than they get it wrong. Rarely do we see any journalists or commentators acknowledging a job well done. Sometimes, it takes several slow motion replays from multiple angles to realise that a split second decision by the umpire was right. As someone who has done the job (at a much lower level) I know how hard our game is to adjudicate - few of the abusers have ever blown a whistle or even read the rules.
Pope Paul VII
Roar Rookie
It will be interesting to see how Brayshaw goes long term. I was reading an interview (shortly after this incident) with Bruns on the aftermath of his smashing by Matthews. He said he never quite got over it. Although he never had reconciliaton with Matthews, which isn't the case here.
User
Roar Rookie
Brayshaw is fine, gaffs reputation is forever tarnished. Don't get hung up on a perception of the incident because none of us realised how much damage had occurred till at least a minute after the event.
Larrikin
Roar Rookie
collingwoods booing of Gaff last week was nothing short of utter stupidity
anon
Roar Pro
It's an optical illusion. Brayshaw is standing closer to the camera.
Pope Paul VII
Roar Rookie
Geelong's Neville Bruns, the victim of Leigh Matthews, was booed by Hawthorn supporters for the rest of his career.
Liam Salter
Roar Guru
That last paragraph of yours is still what irritates me, too. I get it's footy and it's a fast paced game, but goddamn you can't throw a swing of that intensity and not even have a second of "oh damn, did that go too far". Still though, it's been a long time since then and now - and I don't wanna get too hung up about it.
Liam Salter
Roar Guru
Yup. Gotta agree with this. West Coast's passionate fans haven't seen Gaff play in Perth since August, so no doubt they'll be eager to show him the support - I'd expect Optus to be very loud on Saturday night!
Dave
Guest
Why would Eagles crowd boo Brayshaw? Pretty sure after the Barry hall punch there was no players urging the Sydney crowd not to boo staker.
Dalgety Carrington
Roar Guru
He'll get some jeers, but being a WC home game no doubt that'll be drowned out by the cheering.
Dalgety Carrington
Roar Guru
Or pulling his tagging boots back on and playing a run-with role on Gaff.