'Left a deep void': Former Demon Angus Brayshaw hold back tears in emotional retirement speech

Emotional former Melbourne star Angus Brayshaw, who was heartbreakingly medically retired at the start of 2024 due to severe concussion impacts, has given a stirring speech in honour of the retiring class of 2024 at the Brownlow Medal.

Brayshaw was forced to retire before the season began, after precautionary brains scans took his football future out of his hands.

It was such a heartbreaking end to the 2021 premiership player's career, that he had to remove himself from a coaching role at the club, because it upset him that he wasn't able to continue his playing career.

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But in brave fashion, the 28-year-old retiree addressed the Brownlow Medal crowd and pulled off a stirring speech, which left the room holding back tears.

Brayshaw began by explaining the emptiness that he has felt since leaving the game in a sudden fashion, which left him searching for his purpose a lot earlier than he planned.

"It's been about eight months since I was medically retired and just over a year since I played my last game of AFL," Brayshaw said at Crown Melbourne on Monday night.

"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. In time they will be.

"Football is all-consuming, no matter how long your career was, how successful it was."

But while Brayshaw very clearly battled with the speech, as he reflected on the complexities of retirement, especially his own, he still managed to lighten up the room.

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

"Whether you're Dustin Martin, who, I checked before I came up here, he's still officially retired. He's won every single award.

"Or whether you're Aiden O'Driscoll (Western Bulldogs), who was a young man who had dreams of doing what Dusty did."

And as he held back tears, Brayshaw provided proof that there is a light at the end of the tunnel, despite so many unknowns that come with retirement.

"The truth, surprisingly, is that there is a life after football, which is a relief," he said.

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"Our playing careers have ended and there are feeings of sadness, grief, uncertainty, anger and anxiety, no doubt.

"But as the playing door closes for us, so many others stand ready.

"The legacy we have left won't soon be forgotten."