Almost restrict growth; that's brave (8)
I believe the answer is:
stalwart
'that's brave' is the definition.
(similar in meaning)
'almost restrict growth' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite understand how this works, but
'growth' could be 'wart' (I've seen this before) and 'wart' is located in the answer.
This may be the basis of the clue (or it may be nonsense).
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for stalwart that I've seen before include "One you can rely on" , "Staunch; loyal" , "Loyal figure" , "Tart laws could be strong and sturdy" , "husky" .)