Melbourne coach Simon Goodwin admits he is facing a selection headache in the weeks to come as Angus Brayshaw continues to shine in the Demons defence.
Melbourne have got their premiership title defence off to the perfect start after winning the opening nine games of the season and Brayshaw has played a key role. They are priced at 6/4 to win it again.
Key stars missing
The form of Goodwin’s side has been even more impressive considering premiership stars Christian Salem and Michael Hibberd have been missing with knee and calf injuries respectively.
But Brayshaw moving from the wing to half-back has been key and Goodwin now admits he is faced with a dilemma when the injury list clears.
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"Any time you've got guys out it gives you opportunities to look at players in different roles and get some more information about your team," Goodwin said. "The information we've got about Angus Brayshaw in this period is that he's an elite half-back flanker and the way that he can impact the game is significant.
"With these guys coming back in it will tighten up the competition for spots.
"But one thing we know is that Angus is playing some great footy and we're probably going to be hesitant to move him at this point."
Hibberd closing on return
Meanwhile Goodwin says Hibberd’s calf issue has taken longer than expected to fix itself but there is light at the end of the tunnel.
"It has been a bit of an ongoing thing for the last 10 or 12 weeks, which has been disappointing for Michael because he has been really close a couple of times,” Goodwin added. "But it's given us a little bit more time to put some real strength and fitness work into him."
