Former West Coast defender Tom Barrass opens up on move to Hawthorn and the ‘suffering’ of leaving Eagles

Former West Coast star Tom Barrass has opened up on his cross-country move to Hawthorn, describing his decision to leave the Eagles’ nest as the hardest choice of his life. Barrass was contracted to the Eagles, where he won a premiership, for another three seasons and said in mid-2024 he was committed to helping return the club to the top of the AFL food chain. However, an in-season meeting with Hawks coach Sam Mitchell and a desire for change as West Coast lingered towards the foot of the table for a third successive season triggered the 29-year-old to request a trade. And given Barrass’ desire to leave on top of his comprehensive injury history, including a devastating compression fracture to his T8 vertebrae that nearly ended his career in 2023, the Eagles made a deal happen. It came down to the final moments of a tense AFL Trade period, but eventually, West Coast let go of the 2022 John Worsfold Medalist and a future fourth-round draft pick for Hawthorn’s future first, second and third-rounders. “It was the toughest thing I’ve ever done,” Barrass told Triple M. “But the whole process has taught me at that point in time, when you take that risk, on the other side of it is the right thing for you, and it shows a lot of personal growth. “It was a lot of suffering in that whole move across the country and leaving the football club that raised me. But it showed me it was the right move.” His connection to Mitchell, having played with him in 2016 and played under him during his time as an assistant at West Coast, helped Barrass pick Hawthorn as a destination. But the defender revealed he had been looking for a change following 150 games in blue and gold. “Ultimately, I think I was just ready for a change in my life,” he said. “I was out of gas doing what I was doing at West Coast. I’ve loved that footy club all my life, but it was just time for me to do something different. “Sam Mitchell reached out about his outlook on football and life; I really took a leaning and liking to that, and the rest is history. “It’s a really good environment, and it’s reaffirmed a lot of my ideas about football and teamwork, and they’ve got some really great characters there.” It’s a distinctively different attitude to the tall defender’s comments in June 2024 when he assured fans his loyalties lay in Perth. “It happens every year, and it’s hardly a story; AFL clubs chasing established key position players, it’s just the currency of football, so I wouldn’t be reading into it too much,” Barrass said of the rumours linking him to Hawthorn. “I’m a West Coast Eagles player, and unless the rug gets pulled out from under my feet, I’ll stay that way; I am really excited about what we are doing here, (and) I am really excited about some of the talent.” “I think we have got some progress we still need to make … before we’re going to be considered a good team, but I believe we can do it.” Barrass had been locked into the club until 2027, but the trade will allow the veteran to push for one final flag while the Eagles will now have the chance to blood their next generation of defenders. Harry Edwards and Rhett Bazzo will be at the top of the Eagles’ list to pair with premiership hero Jeremy McGovern. Edwards has shown flashes of quality in his limited chances behind McGovern and Barrass, while West Coast is hopeful Bazzo can put injuries and two emotionally tough years in the rearview. The 21-year-old is expected to be ready for the Eagles’ round one clash with Gold Coast on March 16 despite going under the knife to repair a fractured bone in his right foot just before Christmas after a training incident in the off-season program. On Monday, Bazzo was seen walking laps at Mineral Resources Park as his teammates trained in the sizzling Perth heat.