Tom Barrass

[bornadog]

Does it really show that? TDK was injured during the game and the club has already announced that Pittonet is coming in this week.
They rolled the dice with no back-up ruckman.

It was a tongue in cheek when GG mentioned put Macrae in the ruck.

My point is I don't rate rucks like Pittonet. I prefer a Gawn, Grundy, TDK type, which I believe English is.

[bornadog]

I saw a stat last week that Cripps is one of the most effective rucks in the competition, in terms of winning the contest and taking possession. He is very good at outmuscling his opponent, grabbing the ball and throwing it on the boot to gain territory. I don't think it's a bad tactic tbh.

We know Cripps is a Gun

[The Bulldogs Bite]

I'd rather Pittonet + Barrass vs English.

Every day of the week.

[Bullies]

An argument could be made if you include VFL form this is one of Lobb's most consistent years in his career.

But yes, Lobb is still a watch and see.

What's to say with the way Lobb's confidence is at the moment that he can't do around the ground what Tim is doing at the moment. He has a big tank and very fit. Get Barass and it frees up Lobb to be the versatile ruckman.

[bulldogtragic]

What's to say with the way Lobb's confidence is at the moment that he can't do around the ground what Tim is doing at the moment. He has a big tank and very fit. Get Barass and it frees up Lobb to be the versatile ruckman.

Saw a clip of an interview with Rory this week. Said he’d like to play wing too. It’s nice to have a big guy willing and excited to play any role for the team.

[Bullies]

Saw a clip of an interview with Rory this week. Said he’d like to play wing too. It’s nice to have a big guy willing and excited to play any role for the team.

I did say when we were looking for a spot for him he would make a wingman due to his tank. I still think JOD would make the perfect wingman with his size and pace.

[bulldogtragic]

I did say when we were looking for a spot for him he would make a wingman due to his tank. I still think JOD would make the perfect wingman with his size and pace.

This is the beauty of Barrass.

1. He’s a gun
2. If he frees up Lobb, JOD to play other roles which might be a point of difference or allow us to try some different things or play swingmen too

[bornadog]

My gut feeling is he doesn’t leave WC

[jazzadogs]

Is Rory Lobb our Mark Blicavs?

[MrMahatma]

I'm on the:

- See how Lobb finishes the season, and how Jones' body holds up the rest of the year.
- Ideally use trade/draft capital on the midfield, or even a Doc replacement down back.

I'm getting that pre-season "our list is awesome how do we fit them all in" vibe.

[Angak]

Tom Barrass is a deep thinker. I could see him and Bevo having deep and meaningful conversation on thier philosophical views of enlightenment in the 1700s

[jazzadogs]

Tom Barrass is a deep thinker. I could see him and Bevo having deep and meaningful conversation on thier philosophical views of enlightenment in the 1700s

I saw a clip of him on Dyl Buckley's podcast and he did not sound like a footballer.

[azabob]

Daniel Pratt would know what value Barras can bring as well as inside word on his injury.

[Grantysghost]

Daniel Pratt would know what value Barras can bring as well as inside word on his injury.

AB that's a bingo and I absolutely didn't make the link. Thanks now I feel more confident.

[bulldogtragic]

Good outline of where and why this is from WWOS:

West Coast Eagles star Tom Barrass' future up in the air as Dogs, Hawks circle
Tom Morris


Tom Barrass' future at West Coast is delicately placed, with the defender strongly considering a trade request to the Western Bulldogs or Hawthorn.

This is despite his deal at West Coast stretching until the end of 2027.
The Dogs, who are still seen as the frontrunners, are offering four years and would increase the deal to five seasons if push came to shove.

The Hawks would love to bring in Josh Battle as a free agent and Barrass via a trade in the same way Melbourne set up its 2021 premiership years earlier thanks to the arrivals of Steve May and Jake Lever.

Hawthorn has money, but it's doubtful they would offer a deal as long as five years to a player who is 29 in October. The Dogs aren't as flush with cash, primarily because they need to have enough to satisfy out of contract trio Marcus Bontempelli, Ed Richards and Sam Darcy within 14 months.

But they do have a desire to fill a key defensive hole while in premiership contention and Barrass satisfies this need.
The Dogs and the Hawks are both offering significantly more money than his West Coast deal, which rivals believe is no more than $700,000 per season.

There are differing accounts as to who approached who at the end of 2022. Sydney list boss Kinnear Beatson said it came from Barrass' manager Nick Gieschen, while Barrass said it came from Sydney. Regardless, there were chats. There were also preliminary discussions at the end of 2021 between his management and Sydney.

By the end of 2022 Barrass was not only a premiership player, but also a newly minted best and fairest. He knew what the Swans were prepared to offer if he decided to defect.

With that number in mind, Barrass sat down with senior West Coast officials to talk about his contract, against advice from his agent.

He didn't ask for the Eagles to match Sydney's number, but believed the club should restructure his deal to reflect his true value to the team.

To his delight, West Coast officials agreed. There was a verbal understanding that in time, he would receive a pay bump. Any prospect of joining Sydney ended there and then.

This salary increase arrived only in the last few months. Disappointingly for Barrass, it was so minor that it left the 2018 premiership player believing he is being pushed out in favour of multiple high end draft picks.

"I am a West Coast Eagles player," Barrass said at a media conference on June 26.

"And unless the rug gets pulled out from under my feet, it will stay that way."

For Eagles fans who question the validity of a possible trade, know this: Sharks do not circle unless there is blood in the water.

For the Dogs to have tabled a deal to a player with three seasons remaining, and the Hawks to have registered interest, Barrass must be at the very least open to a move.

In truth, he's further down the line than that - albeit not the whole way - despite his public comments.
And the reason he's exploring a trade is because he feels West Coast hasn't come to the party since the handshake agreement.

Those close to him say Barrass' word means everything to him. It's a value he learned from his late father Tony, who was the first Australian journalist jailed for refusing to reveal a source in 1989.

He feels as if the Eagles haven't remained true to their word, even though the club now has a new list boss and CEO.
The Western Bulldogs do not have a first round selection in 2024, but would look to offer the pick they get for Bailey Smith to West Coast for Barrass, perhaps with some later toggling to satisfy both parties.

Hawthorn's pick No.8 looks particularly juicy, especially when it's likely clubs will be permitted to trade draft capital for 2025 and 2026 this October to break negotiation logjams.

The added year to trade draft picks will give clubs more levers to pull and mean players get to where they want to go with greater ease. It's a win-win.

No wonder North Melbourne and Richmond told the AFL earlier this season they were in favour of trading picks four years in advance, reflecting an NBA model previously seen as too radical on these shores.

On Sunday, Hawthorn assistant coach Adrian Hickmott was in Perth for a private matter and caught up with Barrass for fish and chips at Peter's By The Sea in Scarborough.

Hickmott was Barrass' defensive coach from 2015-17 and the two have remained close, as have Sam Mitchell and Barrass from their time at the Eagles together.

Then on Wednesday morning, Hawthon officials met with Gieschen, who is a high profile agent at Connors Sports Management. It was at this meeting that the Hawks reaffirmed their interest in Gieschen's star client.

The Dogs also have a link via Daniel Pratt, who was a West Coast premiership backline coach in 2018 and is now one of Luke Beveridge's senior offsiders.

Family is important to Barrass, especially since he lost his beloved father to throat cancer in 2021.
He and his wife - who is the late Heath Ledger's step sister - share two young boys. They live in an affluent suburb of Perth and are keen to set themselves up for the next period of their lives.

Rival clubs believe if it was purely up to Barrass, he'd come to Victoria. But there are family considerations and the decision will be a joint one for Tom and Nadia.

Helping the cause for the Dogs and Hawks is Barrass' sister's decision to move to Melbourne in the coming weeks, following her best friend from Sydney.

Ally Barrass is one year older than Tom, and the two are extremely close. It was her decision to move to Sydney a few years ago which first saw the Swans come into the frame.

This Saturday night Barrass will play his 150th game for West Coast, triggering automatic life membership. This is important to him. He loves the club and cherishes the 2018 premiership.

But he has a huge decision ahead. At 28, this will be his last crack at a lucrative, long-term deal. And he knows that.
And if the actions of the Eagles over the past 18 months are anything to go by, they will not stand in his way if compensation matches his value, meaning everything between now and October is just a dance.