Angus Brayshaw: 'The absence of football has left a very deep void', Bronwnlow tribute to retiring players - 2024

December 4, 2024

23 September 2024, Crown Palladium, Melbourne, Australia

Ladies and gentlemen, my name is Angus Brayshaw. I'm a retired AFL footballer and I'm here tonight on behalf of the retiring class of 2024. It's certainly not lost to me that I'm making a toast to a group to which I now belong which is a bit awkward but it is an honor to do so nonetheless.

It's been about eight months since I was medically retired and just over a year since I played my last game of AFL so I have a little bit of a head start on the rest of the retirees.

But I'm not going to lie, the absence of football has left a very deep void. Days that were planned to the minute and filled with purpose, need to be replaced. And in time they will be.

Football is all-consuming, no matter how long your career was, how successful it was or even how well you've prepared for the next stage the transition is difficult and there seems no easy way around it

Having said that, I think that it's really important on nights like this to reflect on what we have achieved as a group.

Whether you're Dustin Martin, who, I checked before I came up here, and he's still officially retired. He's won every single award that's available to win. or whether you're a kid like Aiden O'Driscoll (Western Bulldogs), who was a young man who had dreams of doing what Dusty did but unfortunately he was medically retired from concussion in his first preseason.

We the retiring class of 2024 should be incredibly proud. We all hope that we've brought pride and joy to our families, our friends, our loved ones, our teammates. our clubs and also to many fans. We all achieved our dreams to varying degrees, which is a privilege that we should never lose sight of. Equally as important is casting an eye to the future and the truth, surprisingly, is that there is a life after football, which is a relief.

Tom Hawkins played 359 games. He arrived as a kid and leaves the game with several of his own. And although his career may seem like a lifetime, he like the rest of us will soon find out that there is so much more to see and to do, baling hay and mustering cattle. Perhaps? He could be the next John Dutton, TV career after this all.

So yes our careers have ended and there are feelings of sadness, grief, uncertainty anger and anxiety no doubt. But as the planing door closes on us so many others stand ready for us as we transition from this rigid and structured existence into the great unknown.

I sincerely hope that everyone in the retiring class of 2024 finds something that provides them with the passion and the purpose that I derived from playing AFL. So while I'm out at a bit of free advice, it's been 32 weeks of my retirement and that makes me a veteran - so for those watching or here tonight who joined me in retirement I've got a few tips for you.

The first is to keep your friends and family close and be kind to yourself through the ups and downs. It's certainly not going to be easy all the time but the virtues that football has instilled in us will hold us in good stead for what's to come.

The retiring class of 2024 gave so much to the game and will be sorely missed, but the legacy that we have left won't soon be forgotten.

From club captains to premiership heroes, future Hall of Famers and players who gave us moments that we’ll look back on forever. On behalf of the group, I would also like to say a massive thank you to this great game and to all of those who work tirelessly, often without recognition to allow us to go out and do what we we've done.

And most of all a massive thank you to our families and to our loved ones who have sacrificed continuously to help us along our journey. It is my incredible privilege to count myself a member of this group and a true honor to represent and toast them tonight.

So I invite everyone to raise their glasses and join me in toasting the retiring class of 2024

Cheers

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_9Yi7cdiU...

Shane Crawford: 'Footy was fun. Sam made it fun', inducting Sam Mitchell into Hawthorn FC Hall of Fame - 2024

May 16, 2024

17 April 2024, Regency Ballroom, Melbourne, Australia

[Congrats] to all the inductees tonight, a special mention to the Chief [Jason Dunstall was announced as an AFL Legend the same week] Well done. We all thought you were already a legend. So well done Jase.

Luke Hodge, obviously not speaking about Luke, but when he first arrived the Hawthorn, we needed him to be our saviour. There was a lot of pressure on him and he was our saviour. He was incredible. So good on your Hodgey.

Allan Jeans, he once babysat my mum. He was friends with my grandma and he gave me the best advice I've ever received. I’d just started training at Hawthorn, and we finished a skills session and I went over to Mr. Jeans and I said, how did I go?' And without taking a breath, he said, 'you don't train hard enough. When the balls come out, you go flat out. Darrin Pritchard, Tony Hall, they run through the ball. You need to do that.' And I thought, shit. I thought I trained hard. So that was the best advice I've ever had. So it's great that he's been inducted as a Legend.

Sam Mitchell. Okay, I'll be nice.

Sam Mitchell has always been doubted, even when he finally got himself drafted, there were always concerns and doubts and question marks. Is his endurance good enough? Is he quick enough? Can he play on both sides of his body? Is he tall enough? (He's not very tall. He's got a long torso and short little legs and looks a little like a little ball. But, that's as mean as I'm going to go. He's a little unusual and [to Mitchell] your head's probably too big for your body anyway.)

So anyway, he was doubted. There were lots of question marks. And the great David Parkin, and I'm pumped to be sitting next to David tonight, he gave Sam some wonderful advice when he started out, he said, 'You're very good at winning the ball. Don't be good. Be great.'

And guess what? Sam took that on straight away. He went to work on his strengths and he turned himself into one of the all time greats, especially when it comes to contested footy. And you've got to remember, he was tagged every game. And that's back when taggers were able to harass you, manhandle you and abuse you. Sam took it all in his stride. So much so that there were games when we played and Sam wasn't tagged, he used to come up to me and he used to crack the shits. He was offended the opposition weren't tagging him! He actually didn't know how to play without an opponent. That's how often he was tagged.

Sam had an unbelievable appetite for the game. He worked his butt off. He was so professional. A wonderful attitude. Amazing belief. Even when times were tough, it just made him more determined. He had so much courage. Courage to put his body on the line, courage to put his head over the ball. Courage to tell you what he thought, even though his teammates didn't appreciate it a lot of the times. Sam was always grabbing the ruckman after training and doing ball-ups and throw-ins nonstop. He was working at his craft.

Every pre-season, Sam would come at the end of endurance runs in the midfield group, which was good for some of the midfielders because they knew that they probably weren't going to come last. But, I always say that if you had a football and you took on Sam Mitchell one-on-one, no matter who you are, he would win eighty out of a hundred times.

Even if he was fatigued, he'd still find a way. Mental strength. I've never seen anything like it. I loved playing with Sam. You always knew what you were going to get. He was so reliable, so consistent. He was so good. He trained so much on the opposite side of the body that the coaches had to demand that he start kicking on his good side of the body.

There was nothing better than quick discussions in the middle of the MCG after kicking a goal. And this is sort of how it went, and this was later in my career when I had retired from winning the hard ball, and we would quickly talk to the ruckman. I would be in there with Sam and we'd go, ‘Okay, this is what's going to happen. Ruckman, you hit it to Sam. Sam, you take on three or four opponents and I'll be doing a fly by at nine o'clock or three o'clock and kick the ball into the forward line.' And sure enough, Sam would beat all the opposition, I would do a fly by, I actually felt like Tom Cruise from Top Gun. The ball would be handed on a platter and I would kick the ball inside.50.

Footy was fun. Sam made it fun.

Grand final 2008. Great day. [applause] That's what I'm talking about!. It was half time. It was hot. We were all sitting in the rooms trying to catch our breath. No one was making any noise. And all we heard from Clarko's rooms, the coaches' rooms, was someone absolutely copping it like I've never heard before. Deep down I was laughing, that it wasn't me. And it just happened to be Mitch. And I do remember talking to Luke Hodge at the time saying, 'we need to get around him. We need to get him going for the second half.' When Mitch came out of the rooms, I locked eyes on him and I said, 'that seemed to go well.'

But what did he do? He didn't put up a white flag. He put up a premiership flag. His second half was magnificent. He dominated. He got away from his tagger, Cameron Ling, the mighty Geelong player he was. He kicked a goal. He turned himself not into a premiership player, but also a premiership captain. It was incredible. And that's what Sam was all about. When the times were tough, he'd find a way. He'd just find a way.

So I'm looking forward to coming back in a few years time to induct you as a Legend, after you coach the Hawks to your very first premiership as coach. But I’m not getting ahead of myself tonight, it gives me great honour to induct the great Sam Mitchell into the Hawthorn Hall of Fame. Good on you Sam.

Ruby Tui: 'Where's the thunder?', post match interview, Tokyo Olympics - 2021

February 16, 2024

1 August 2021, Tokyo, Japan

Interviewer: You came out strong today, because you were wanting to improve after yesterday.

Ruby Tui: One hundred percent.

[Then speaks in Samoan]

Yeah, the Russians are very cool people man. We get on with them because they’re cool people. But on the field they are a bloody tough, tough team.

They weren’t at the last Olympics, so this is huge for them. Massive congratulations to Russia.

I dont want to say that the score might have made it look easy but it was not easy.

Don’t be fooled - (there was) lots of running. My GPS blew up ... that’s how hard it was so respect to Russia!

Interviewer: What have you made of GB?

She was then asked her thoughts on Great Britain’s rugby sevens team, to which she responded she loved how players from England, Scotland and Wales came together for the tournament.

Ruby Tui: I love how GB come together. They all split up but for the Olympics, they come together.'

It’s funny because in the scrum when they go down they say ‘England’ but they can’t do it here so everyone has to go ‘GB’.

Scotland have got a couple of really good players. Wales as well. (Jasmin) Joyce is bloody gas.

I love the whole concept of Team GB and huge congratulations to Great Britain and all the people of that place because they fundraised, they worked hard, they campaigned. I think even a couple of us donated.

Inteviewer: I think the rain’s coming?

What rain, where’s the thunder? We’re at the Olympics. Let’s be happy. Let’s compete safely and peacefully. Peace and love. Love you guys.