Tom Barrass sauntered down the back nine of the Mirage Country Club in the form of his life when his mood changed on Jeremy McGovern's buck's party in Port Douglas last October. With less than two hours left in the trade period, the star defender remembered he remained in limbo. And his short game deteriorated as a result. 

The 29-year-old knew by July he wanted to explore a move to Hawthorn and formally requested a trade to Victoria at the end of West Coast's season in August. But with three years to run on his contract – and the Eagles undergoing an extensive renovation of its football department resulting in the hiring of Andrew McQualter and John Worsfold – nothing was guaranteed on deadline day.

By the time Barrass had sat down for a beer on the balcony overlooking the 18th green, he'd spoken to Hawthorn coach Sam Mitchell and his manager, Nick Gieschen, from Connors Sports Management. Both reassured him that a deal would get done. He just had to sit tight. 

Neither Mitchell nor Gieschen would deliver the news first from Marvel Stadium. Instead, a random guy sitting across the table at the golf club was on Twitter when journalists started reporting the deal was done. 

West Coast, under the direction of new list manager Matt Clarke and CEO Don Pyke, wanted two first-round picks for Barrass. But after weeks of negotiations, they were ultimately satisfied by Hawthorn's offer of a future first, second and third-round pick, with the Eagles' 2025 fourth-round pick included in the deal. Barrass, finally, could get on with enjoying his now former teammate's weekend of festivities in the sun.

"We were playing 18 holes and I was hitting them beautifully. Then at quarter to six I just started vibrating. I couldn't even stand over the golf ball I was shaking so much, so I decided to give Sam Mitchell a call and ask him to hurry the whole process up, which he told me he was sure it was all going down and not to worry too much," Barrass told AFL.com.au at Hawthorn's pre-season camp in Torquay this week. 

"I knew the whole time about the nature of the trade, I knew that it would involve West Coast's goodwill and them doing the right thing by me personally, so I knew there were a number of variables up in the air and I had to accept that if the trade didn't go through that is just the business. I was ready for that outcome, but I was really glad the two clubs were able to reach a decision and get the trade done."

Barrass grew up in Scarborough, 15 minutes from the old Subiaco Oval. He went to school at Hale, played WAFL colts for Claremont before being drafted at pick No.43 in 2013 by the biggest club in Western Australia, if not the country. For a long time, he wanted to finish where he started, wanted to end his career a one-club player, cementing his status as an all-time great after playing a key role in the 2018 premiership, before winning the John Worsfold Medal in 2022. 

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But circumstances changed. Barrass felt stale at West Coast. Three disastrous years reaped just 10 wins and resulted in the drawn-out departure of Adam Simpson last July. Rather than staying in an environment he knew intimately, surrounded by his nearest and dearest, the 197cm backman needed to uproot his young family and move east to get the most out of the twilight of his career.

"It was a really big decision for me, but I do think it was the right one," Barrass said. "I knew I needed something new; I needed a change. The decision was really hard because it meant leaving my family, leaving my community, leaving my support network and, of course, leaving all my mates and colleagues and friends at the football club. That was the really difficult part of the decision, leaving your best friends and your family. 

"But in terms of a career move and what was best for my family, it was a no-brainer. I'm really happy that I decided to take a chance on a new opportunity and go into the unknown a little bit. It should prove to be a good decision for my family in the long run."

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Barrass has relocated to East Malvern in Melbourne's inner-east with his fiancée, Nadia Rosa – they tie the knot in Cottesloe on Valentine's Day later this month – and their two young sons, Billy and Benson.

On the cusp of reaching an age and stage where players in this game transition from the summer to the autumn of their careers, Barrass feels rejuvenated by the change of scenery. Retirement crossed his mind last year, despite having a contract at West Coast until 2027, but it never progressed past a fleeting thought.

"I wasn't really loving what I was doing," he said. "It wasn't so much about retiring, changing industries, changing jobs. It was more about a mental rejuvenation and how do I actually continue to get the best out of myself in my chosen workplace. I knew that wasn't happening and I knew that it was necessary that I changed jobs. What that looked like I was very open minded. 

"We can talk about the 'R' [retirement] word, but I never got too far along before other clubs offered opportunities to come and play for them, opportunities to live on the other side of Australia and go on an adventure with my young family. That became my focus once I knew that I was mentally exhausted, not so much at West Coast but in Western Australia, where I've grown up, where my whole life has unfolded. I needed a fresh change of scenery."

Hawthorn wasn't the only club who wanted Barrass. The Western Bulldogs actively pursued a trade behind the scenes last year, while Sydney tried to lure him across the country on multiple occasions dating back to 2021. Recruiters try to capitalise on any advantage. The Swans knew Barrass' older sister Ally lived in Sydney at the time – she has since moved to Melbourne – and tried to reunite the siblings to no avail.

Instead, it was the profound impact of two members of West Coast's coaching panel in 2018 that convinced Barrass to choose the Hawks during a recruiting mission in July. Adrian Hickmott spent a decade at the Eagles, coaching the backline between 2015 and 2017. Sam Mitchell played the final season of his Hall of Fame career in Perth, before spending the first year of his coaching career at West Coast. After missing out on Ben McKay and Esava Ratugolea in 2023, the pair assisted list manager Mark McKenzie and player acquisition manager Jarryd Roughead to reel in a big fish.

"Primarily it was the coaching environment," he explained. "It was my relationship with Sam Mitchell, as well as my relationship with Adrian Hickmott. I knew that those two men possessed the right skills to create a learning environment where I would really thrive. 

"Knowing those two men gave me confidence that the program is really strong over here and it was going to make me improve as a player and as a man. That's what I'm after here, that's why I am here to try and be the best Tom Barrass there is when I finish football. For me, it became clear that playing at a separate club, seeing a new environment in a new city was going to make me a better operator."

Playing in the Perth fishbowl exposed Barrass to the brutal side of the business. Everything is forensically dissected in that neck of the woods and magnified in a two-team town. Moving clubs attracts another layer of scrutiny if you don't perform. But that media attention motivates the son of the late Tony Barrass, the legendary WA journalist who became the first Australian reporter sent to jail for refusing to reveal a source in a court of law. Where others fear to tread, Barrass is prepared to wade waist-deep into the swamp. 

"It is certainly part of the business," he said. "I was well aware I was going to attract some scrutiny. That is the nature of the game; it is a big boy industry; if you want to play football in front of 100,000 people, you have to put your nuts on the line and you have to be willing to fail and you have to be willing for people to not like you. 

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"As much as those things are troubling in the perspective of my values, what I want for my family, what I want for my life, I'm happy to cop a bit of scrutiny about the decisions I'm making to be the best father I can be."

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Barrass is far from your cookie cutter footballer. Thoughtful and articulate, he is comfortable confronting topics others feel uncomfortable discussing. He is prepared to speak up and lead, even in a new environment. AFL.com.au observed line meetings and a self-awareness session run by player development manager Jenni Screen at the RACV Resort in Torquay on Tuesday and it was the new recruit from Perth who was a central figure in the session. 

Hawthorn had the second-youngest list and third-least experienced list this time last year. Now they are ranked 10th for average age (24.6) and eighth for average games (71.7) after exposing more youth in 2024. Luke Breust (34), Jack Gunston (33), Sam Frost (31) and James Sicily (30) are the only players north of 30. Karl Amon and Jarman Impey will both reach that milestone in July, a few months before Barrass, who boosts a backline that also landed Josh Battle via free agency in October.

The Hawks are yet to complete their leadership process for 2025, but not much is expected to change. Title or no title, Barrass will complement captain Sicily and younger leaders Dylan Moore and Will Day, providing a different approach to the game and life, highlighted by his pursuit of Philosophy at the University of Western Australia. 

"When I first started studying, I was very much a science-based kid. However, during COVID we weren't allowed to attend university for a couple years for risk mitigation. Throughout that time, I became really interested in philosophy through a good friend of mine and decided to take up a few philosophy units at uni. I must admit I found it the most interesting content, as well as the most real-life application. It was something I didn't plan on doing but is something I think will be valuable going forward," he said.

While football is his current vocation and philosophy could be his next, music is Barrass' true passion, which is why he launched the podcast Pass the Aux with Mat Dzodzos in December. Produced by Backchat Studios, the boutique podcast agency co-founded by West Coast premiership defender Will Schofield, the podcast could prove to be an entry point into the family business. Barrass' mother, Danielle Benda, has worked as a reporter, editor, broadcaster and in communications for more than 30 years.

"It's a music podcast and it's designed to be a radio show," he said. "It is me and my co-host Mat. Two buddies from Perth. I wanted to start learning skills for the resume for when I transition after footy, as well as pursue some subject matter that is important to me, which is music. I absolutely love music. I could talk about it and listen to it all day, and I also love great conversation."

Barrass was eased into the program at Waverley Park before Christmas after missing the final month of last season. He was almost forced to retire in 2023 due to a compression fracture to his vertebrae and has managed the back issue over the past two years. But since returning in January, Barrass hasn't missed a session, building his load ahead of the practice matches against Geelong and the Western Bulldogs later this month.  

But before the business end of pre-season, the wedding is the next major milestone for the West Australian. That officially marks the end of an era in Perth. After pulling up the anchor he had dropped in the west, Barrass has set sail on a new era in brown and gold, wearing the same No.37 he made famous back home.