West Coast premiership defender Tom Barrass has once again become a potential trade target for rival clubs. After Sydney’s unsuccessful attempt to acquire him in last year’s trade period, AFL Media’s Cal Twomey has reported that Collingwood and the Western Bulldogs have expressed interest in Barrass.
The 28-year-old, a native of Western Australia, is a valuable player for the Eagles under coach Adam Simpson. Twomey noted that “it would take a good offer to get him out” given his importance to the team.
“There is growing interest again in West Coast’s Tom Barrass,” Twomey said on Gettable. “Sydney made a big play for Barrass last year but he stayed of course. Clubs have come again. My understanding is Collingwood and the Western Bulldogs have shown their interest in Barrass, who is contracted for another three seasons until the end of 2027. He turns 29 this year, so it would take a good offer to get him out, clearly. The Eagles are also looking at it and doing some work around keeping him with his deal, locking him to stay. So he’ll have a decision to make again.”
Both Collingwood and the Western Bulldogs have key defensive needs. The 2023 premiers, Collingwood, rely on veteran Jeremy Howe and the undersized Brayden Maynard following Nathan Murphy’s retirement. The Bulldogs, led by Luke Beveridge, see veterans Liam Jones (33) and Alex Keath (32) as regulars who may soon retire. Each team has promising young defenders in Charlie Dean (22) and Jedd Busslinger (20), respectively.
Barrass would provide a bridge between the current veterans and the younger players if a trade can be negotiated. However, both Collingwood and the Bulldogs currently lack a first-round pick in this year’s draft, a likely necessity for the Eagles to consider a trade.
