The fear of letting standards slip will drive West Coast’s defenders throughout the AFL’s shutdown period, according to Tom Barrass.
The Eagles back line was rock solid again Melbourne in round one, repelling countless attacking raids with perfectly timed marks, intercepts and spoils.
They also got the home side on the front foot with their elite ball use.
Defensive general Shannon Hurn distributed the Sherrin with incredible precision, hitting targets with 95.7 per cent of his disposals.
He was closely followed by Lewis Jetta (88.9 per cent), Brad Sheppard (87.5), Liam Duggan (85.7), Jeremy McGovern (83.3), Jackson Nelson (83.3) and Barrass (75).
Barrass – who was among the team’s strongest performers with 16 disposals, 11 one percenters, nine marks (four of which were intercept grabs) and four rebound 50s – said the backline was pleased with the foundation it laid for season 2020 and wanted to maintain their standards - even in isolation.
“The backs worked well and it was good to get a flush out, but it’s a bit of a shame that we can’t carry on the season,”Barrass said.
“It’s good when you get to game day intensity and you get to test the system that you have developed as backs.
“We were happy with how it turned out.”
It might be a while Barrass and his defensive gang get to strut their stuff again this year, so the 24-year-old has been brainstorming ways to keep busy when he’s not getting some miles into the legs or throwing weights around.
Barrass said he would probably use his down time to chip away at his philosophy and neuroscience degree and get to some odd jobs that had previously eluded him.
“That’ll be what preoccupies a lot of my time, provided that the internet is not broken from everyone being on there,” he said.
“There is a section of my house that needs paving, so I might be getting down on the knees and start paving that.
“I’ll probably be playing a bit of backyard cricket, some Monopoly and some chess.
“It’s an interesting time. I haven’t been faced with this before in the AFL, so we’ll try and keep our minds sharp and our bodies sharp because play could be on in not too long.”
