Fremantle’s first pick in the 2017 NAB AFL Draft, Andrew Brayshaw, has committed to a two-year extension on top of his initial two-year contract with Fremantle.

Effectively a four-year deal, it will see the 18-year-old at the club until at least the end of the 2021 season. 

Brayshaw jumped at the opportunity to add an extra two years to his original contract, despite having only been at the club for less than three weeks after being taken at no.2 in the draft last month.

“I heard that the club was interested in re-signing me and I’ve been treated really well here and everyone’s been really welcoming, so I just snatched it (the opportunity to re-sign) up as quickly as I could,” Brayshaw said.

“I definitely feel there’s something special going on at the club and I’m really excited for the next few years and I definitely want to be a part of that.”

The midfielder says he’s excited to see what he and the other draftees can bring to an exciting Fremantle playing group.

“It’s really good to have a group of guys who are all going through the same sort of thing,” Brayshaw said. 

“At a lot of other clubs, there’s only two or three draftees but having us 10 who most have moved from interstate, it’s been really great to work off each together and sort things out together.

“It’s been a great experience so far.”

After heading the recruiting team that drafted Brayshaw at no.2, general manager of list management Brad Lloyd said he was delighted to see the elite young talent hit the ground running at Freo. 

“Andrew’s has been outstanding since he arrived at the club,” Lloyd said.

“He’s been really upbeat and he’s attacked everything the club’s thrown at him. He’s spent some time living with Nat Fyfe. He’s been on a training camp already, where he displayed a lot of his qualities and he’s settling in really well.”

Lloyd added that with so many new faces at the club, it was important to secure an extension for a player that is already fronting as a leader.

“It’s really exciting for Andrew to commit to four years at the football club,” Lloyd said.

“He’s an exciting young player, we love his football and he’s also a quality person. 

“We’re thrilled with the leadership he’s shown. We’ve had 22 young players enter the football club in the past two off-seasons, so to have a young player like Andrew show his commitment to the club with a two-year extension on top of an initial two-year term, it’s a really good sign and a show of faith by Andrew.

“We’ve had strong retention with our players for many years now so for Andrew to commit to the club after only being with us for a short period of time, it’s great for both Andrew and the footy club.”