TIMING can be everything. Moving across the country at the age and stage he did has helped Tom Barrass reset his career. It means the next time he heads home it will be to play for his state in Western Australia's first Origin game since 1998. 

Barrass played a key role in West Coast's 2018 premiership and won the 2022 John Worsfold Medal but never played more than 19 games in a season across his 11 years at the Eagles. 

The 30-year-old battled a back injury across his final two years at West Coast before requesting a trade to Hawthorn at the end of 2024, which was sealed inside the dying minutes of that year's trade period. 

In his first year in the brown and gold, Barrass played 25 of a possible 26 games and helped transform the Hawks into a top four defence alongside star backs Josh Battle and James Sicily.  

Barrass will partner Greater Western Sydney superstar Sam Taylor in defence for the Sandgropers under West Coast great and current Sydney coach Dean Cox in next month's AAMI AFL Origin, after being rewarded for making the bold call to depart the Eagles for a fresh start in Victoria. 

"I think when you change your environment you receive a lot of awareness around your body, around your football, around your family; those experiences make you grow and learn lots about yourself," Barrass told AFL.com.au. 

"I think I got much better at managing my body, knowing when to stop, which I wasn't particularly good at at West Coast and possibly didn't play as much as I could have because I was burnt out and excess training. I think having more awareness around how your body is actually feeling and managing that has been a big difference."

This summer has felt much more settled than last summer. Not only did Barrass have to navigate the logistics of moving to Melbourne with two young kids before the start of last pre-season, but he also had his wedding back in Perth to organise.

"There was a fair bit going on early days, a lot of back and forth from Perth, a lot of uncertainty throughout the whole late end of 2024," Barrass said.

"Me and my family are really loving it here, we have settled in. It is a fantastic state to play footy in, it's a fantastic state to live in – but it's not as good as Western Australia."

Barrass grew up in Scarborough, went to school at Hale, captained Claremont colts and played for Western Australia in the under-18 national championships alongside Carlton captain Patrick Cripps, before being drafted by West Coast at the end of 2013. 

After making the decision to uproot his life in Perth 18 months ago, being picked to play for Western Australia against Victoria at Optus Stadium on February 14 – on his one-year wedding anniversary – means even more to Barrass.

"Truly it is such an honour to represent WA. Just having the colours on feels special and feels nostalgic. Hopefully we can go out there and champion a state that loves football and embraces football," he said.

"To be able to play with blokes that have worn the black duck and represented Western Australia with blokes I've admired from other teams for a number of years. It is an honour. I can't wait to pull on the guernsey with Darcy Cameron, a long time mate of mine, I can't wait to pull on the guernsey with Liam Baker, a player I've loved watching for eight or nine years. I think it's really special."

Battle won't be standing alongside him at Optus Stadium, but he'll be out there up the other end. Like Barrass, the move to Hawthorn paid immediate dividends for Battle in 2025. The 27-year-old produced a career year after moving from St Kilda as a free agent, collecting a maiden All-Australian blazer after building a formidable partnership with Barrass.

"We are off to a hot start I must admit," Barrass quipped, "And not (just) about football: he has taught me a lot about areas of expertise that he owns like diet and lifestyle and often technical football stuff and do very much the same with my technical knowledge. 

"We are both on a journey and both very into learning and growing. We have loved bouncing off each other, on and off the field to try and further things. 

"I've loved getting to know the back six. It is a special connection you have as a backline. You need to rely on each other and need to really grow relationships to hold each other accountable."

Hawthorn traded in Josh Gibson and Brian Lake when Sam Mitchell was playing. Lake won a Norm Smith Medal and played in the three-peat alongside Gibson, who also won two Peter Crimmins Medals in premiership years. 

After exceeding expectations in their first year at the Hawks, Barrass and Battle will be aiming to continue to follow that blueprint and help Hawthorn win its 14th premiership in 2026.