Australian Football

Brayden Lyle was an honest, hard working midfielder who lacked pace but was nevertheless an excellent ball getter. Having commenced his senior career with a season at Port Adelaide in the SANFL he was picked up by West Coast prior to the commencement of the 1994 season. After failing to register a single game with the Eagles in his first year he made 26 appearances in 1995-6 whilst simultaneously racking up 39 WASFL games with East Perth. In 1997 he returned home to Port Adelaide as part of that club’s inaugural AFL pool of players and it would be fair to state that he performed beyond expectations, particularly in his first few years.

Typically used as a centreman, he exhibited a creative streak which had not been evident during his time in the west. In 1997 he represented South Australia against Victoria in Adelaide and won the Fos Williams Medal as the home state’s best player. Between 1997 and 2000 one imagines that Brayden Lyle’s name was one of the first to be entered on the Port Adelaide team sheet each week. However, in 2001 he began to be overtaken by younger midfielders on Port’s list, and at the end of the year his AFL career was brought to an end after 116 games, 90 of which were with the Power.

Lyle carried on for one more season with Port’s SANFL combination, bringing his final tally of games with the Magpies to 68.

Author - John Devaney