Birds of a feather: Why this premiership star says Hawks can fly even higher

1 week ago 3

Tom Barrass was a key figure in West Coast’s 2018 premiership. Now a Hawk, the star defender can sense a similar feeling at his new home as he and his teammates prepare for Friday night’s semi-final against Adelaide.

“You look around, when you are at this stage of the year, and every player is good – every single player that is on the field is a genuinely good player,” Barrass said.

Hawthorn full-back Tom Barrass with coach Sam Mitchell.

“There are probably two or three that aren’t on there that could be on there.”

Barrass, of course, is one of those players – his ability to shut down key forwards the reason why the Hawks traded future first, second, and third-round picks for him.

Fresh off eliminating GWS on Saturday, Barrass says the Hawks are blessed with enough talent to win both now, and over a five-year period.

The 2018 decider is best remembered for Dom Sheed’s match-winning goal, but the 29-year-old Barrass remembers more about the detail of his former team’s success.

“The list is in very good shape and that is similar to when we had success at West Coast,” he said.

“You just have to butter up and get ready to produce high effort and really connect as a team for multiple weeks in a row over a five-year period, and you see where you land.

“I think the Hawks have done a terrific job of managing that list build and giving the boys the right opportunity to put their best foot forward at this time of the year.”

There were initial teething problems in defence, with Barrass and former Saint Josh Battle having to mesh their skills with new teammates, including skipper James Sicily. That Battle soon flourished to the point he was named an All-Australian for the first time, while Barrass, a Claremont product taken with pick No.43 in the 2013 national draft, went on to enjoy a stellar season, has reinforced just how well they settled any problems.

Barrass (right) and former Saint Josh Battle (left) have built cohesion in the Hawks’ backline.

“We are certainly feeling a lot better than we did previously,” Barrass said.

“Josh and I probably took a little bit to fit in and read the room on how the boys play together.

“I, obviously, played alongside Jeremy [McGovern] for a long time. We are both jumping-type players. Josh [Battle] and James [Sicily] aren’t jumping-type players, so we took a little bit to figure each other out. But it’s been great the last eight to 10 weeks – I feel we have built some cohesion.

“My role is to bring the ball to ground, really, and create a contest. Those guys are such great, well-rounded players, so if the ball is in their hands, they usually make the correct decision, and that’s not mentioning other parts of the back line.

“[Jack] Scrimshaw has complemented us really nicely. I feel we are building some cohesion as a unit. Hopefully, we can carry that into this weekend.”

It’s been a year of change for Barrass, influencer wife Nadia Rosa, and their two young boys – Billy and Benson. He and Nadia, who is the stepsister of late Hollywood star Heath Ledger, were married in February in Perth.

The move to Melbourne was a major one, but Barrass, the son of late legendary WA journalist Tony Barrass, the first Australian reporter to be jailed for refusing to reveal his source to a court of law, felt he needed a fresh challenge.

The result has been something of an “audit”, for Barrass the footballer, and Barrass the family man.

“It’s getting an audit on who you are and what you love doing – how you love spending your time, how you treat your family, all kinds of great things regarding personal growth,” he said.

“I think ‘whirlwind’ would be a good way to describe it. I have learnt so much about myself coming over here and playing for a new footy club. That’s mostly as a person.”

Barrass said the public gaze was greater in the two-team town of Perth than it has been so far in Melbourne.

“I would say it’s probably easier in Melbourne,” he said.

“You face a lot of scrutiny in Perth – there is a lot of pressure to perform over there. You get a bit more anonymity over here, but only just.”

If the Hawks do climb the AFL mountain this September, Barrass knows that anonymity may change.