ANGUS Brayshaw is all but certain to play out his career at Melbourne after signing a new six-year deal to remain at the Demons.
The 2021 premiership star was out of contract at the end of this season and qualified as a restricted free agent, and had considered offers from rival clubs including Essendon and Fremantle, where his younger brother Andrew is starring.
But the Demons announced on Thursday morning that Brayshaw was locked into a new contract at Melbourne until the end of 2028, when he will be 32.
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He joins fellow premiership heroes Christian Petracca (signed until 2029) and Clayton Oliver (2030) on long-term deals at the club.
The deal leaves the Demons' star young ruckman Luke Jackson, the 2021 NAB AFL Rising Star winner, as the biggest name out of contract at the club. Jackson is the target of interest from clubs in his home state of WA, with Fremantle leading the race to lure the athletic tall.
Speculation had ramped up about Brayshaw's future in recent weeks and the 26-year-old openly admitted he was taking his time to consider what loomed as the biggest off-field decision of his career.
"It doesn't take a genius to figure out this is the most important decision I've got to make and it's one I'm not taking lightly at all," Brayshaw told SEN radio on Tuesday morning.
"I've got a heap of due diligence to do to feel comfortable about the decision I make. I obviously haven't made it yet.
"I understand time is running out on the clock and people are speculating, but I'm not making the decision for any of them.
"The decision is going to be what's best for me and I'll make it when I'm ready."
Brayshaw, who was drafted with Petracca inside the top three of the 2014 NAB AFL Draft as a powerful midfielder and finished third in the 2018 Brownlow Medal in that role, has been forced out of the Demons' engine room in recent seasons.
He played a key role on a wing throughout Melbourne's run to the 2021 premiership, and he has shifted to half-back this season and starred again with his intercept marking and ability to read the play.
