West Coast key defender Tom Barrass knocks back trade interest despite ‘gettable’ tag

All the talk around Tom Barrass is that he’s ‘gettable’ by a big club in the hunt for a flag despite three years to go on his contract. He speaks to MARK DUFFIELD about his name being thrown around yet again.

PERTH, AUSTRALIA – MARCH 24: Tom Barrass of the Eagles high fives as he runs out onto the ground during the round two AFL match between West Coast Eagles and Greater Western Sydney Giants at Optus Stadium, on March 24, 2024, in Perth, Australia. (Photo by James Worsfold/AFL Photos/via Getty Images )

Tom Barrass says he is a West Coast player and will remain so unless the “rug gets pulled out from under my feet”.

West Coast says Barrass is a “required” player – an important part of a rebuild where the Eagles are trying to add young and mid range talent to a group of veterans who are playing good footy but are all on the clock as far as longevity goes simply because of age.

And the facts are that the 28-year-old Barrass will still have three years of a contract to run at the end of this year. Even if he was to decide to go – the Eagles could just sit quietly and say no.

But the noise continues about Barrass being “gettable” There was a lot of it at the end of last year about the possibility of him joining Sydney.

With Elliot Yeo now signed and secured for three years Barrass becomes the one obvious senior Eagle who may command interest and who is young enough to be worth enough draft collateral to get the Eagles interested in trading an accomplished, contracted player.

PERTH, AUSTRALIA – MARCH 24: Tom Barrass of the Eagles high fives as he runs out onto the ground during the round two AFL match between West Coast Eagles and Greater Western Sydney Giants at Optus Stadium, on March 24, 2024, in Perth, Australia. (Photo by James Worsfold/AFL Photos/via Getty Images )

Barrass suffered a serious back injury in a heavy fall from a marking contest against Richmond in the 2023 season – fracturing one vertebrae and compressing five others. It is an injury that needs constant and ongoing maintenance now and Barrass openly speaks of the good luck he had in the fall not turning him into a quadriplegic.

But it hasn’t impacted his form at West Coast this season. Only Jake Waterman has taken more contested marks. Barrass has more contested marks in 13 games than fellow interceptor Jeremy McGovern – one of the game’s great contested marks – has taken despite playing an extra game.

If a club that perceives itself to be one big backman away from a flag goes looking at the end of the season and believes it has a two to three year window to grab the cup, Barrass is as good a bet as anyone – hence the speculation.

And with young defender Harry Edwards starting to emerge at the Eagles and unable to permanently claim a spot in the team because of the presence of Barrass and McGovern, the Eagles may have a price in mind that will turn their heads, regardless of what they and Barrass say now.

Barrass claims he only becomes aware of speculation that he might leave when he fronts press conferences and gets asked about it.

“I don’t read the media or the social media. I usually find out when I am sitting in here in front of you,” he said to media on Tuesday.

Tom Barrass and Josh Rotham celebrate a win in Round 10. Picture: Daniel Carson/AFL Photos via Getty Images.

“It happens every year and it is hardly a story, AFL clubs chasing established key position player. It is just the currency of football and I wouldn’t be reading into it too much.”

“I am a West Coast Eagles player and unless the rug gets pulled out from under my feet I will stay that way.”

“I am really excited about what we are doing here. I am really excited about some of the talent. I think we have still got some progress we need to make and we have got some improvements that we can make before we are going to be considered a good team but I believe that we can do it.”

“And I believe that if we work as a team that it is a lot closer than people probably perceive.”

Football manager Gavin Bell said Barrass and McGovern were the keys to the Eagles defence and Barrass was a required player.

“Both great players – Gov – his achievements throughout his career have been outstanding and Tommy Barrass continues to grow on field but also both guys are fully invested off field which is really exciting for us,” he told SEN.

“They are helping our younger players come through. They are playing the game the right way, they are training and preparing at a new level which has been great as an example to our younger guys. There is a good core group there and now it is for us to canoe to build our midfield and to become a side that has a lot of depth.”

“Tom is a required player for us. His impact on field and his impact off field continue to grow.”

“Accumulating more top end picks is a challenge, there is no doubt about it.”

But he said the club had chosen against using an Elliot Yeo departure to get picks and would almost certainly do the same with Barrass.

“They are important for us and our position hasn’t changed. We believe in a system where we have good strong core players at a leadership level with experienced guys there to be able to help bring this young group through.”

“We are looking at all three mechanisms to bring players in. We believe in the draft. We have traditionally been a draft and development club so we believe in that model. We also understand and have identified and articulated that we have some gaps in our list through the middle core, age profile of our list. Lots of kids, quite a few veterans and then the middle part of our list we are lacking some depth there.”

“That opens us up for opportunities in trade and free agency as well.”

Originally published as West Coast key defender Tom Barrass knocks back trade interest despite ‘gettable’ tag