Fremantle Head of Player Personnel David Walls and CEO Simon Garlick have confirmed the Club has had encouraging conversations regarding the re-signing of star midfielder Andrew Brayshaw.
Walls spoke to Cal Twomey on Continental Tyres Trade Radio to discuss Fremantle’s trade plans and Brayshaw’s contract, revealing that both the Club and the 24-year-old’s management are keen to get a deal done.
“We’ve had some encouraging early conversations with Tom Petroro, his manager, and Andy (Brayshaw) is really keen to commit,” Walls said.
“He loves living in Fremantle - with the lifestyle - and he’s as committed as anyone to the Club as well.
“I think we’ll ramp up the contract talks in the coming weeks and it will be good to get a deal done with both parties keen to get it sorted.”
Co-vice captain Brayshaw is contracted until the end of 2025, along with captain Alex Pearce.
Speaking on SEN WA, Garlick told hosts Tim Gossage and Scott Cummings there are few people as committed to the Club as the two leaders.
“We are in discussions with both Alex Pearce and Andrew Brayshaw and we are really enthusiastic and excited about their future here at Fremantle beyond 2025,” Garlick said.
“They will become free agents at the end of next year, but we will continue to work with them and their management over the coming weeks and months, if not sooner, to look to lock them away for as long as we possibly can.”
Walls also offered insight into Fremantle’s talks with Richmond about the potential acquisition of forward Shai Bolton.
“It’s still early days with Shai (Bolton). He’s a quality player and we’d love to bring him in,” Walls said.
“He’s got an interest in coming back to WA, but we’ve got to sit down with Richmond.
“We’ve had a few early chats, but we need to see if we can strike a deal that everyone’s happy with. There’s still a little bit of work to do.”
Walls and Garlick both confirmed the Club would not be opposed to going to the draft if a ‘responsible’ deal couldn’t be struck for Bolton.
“We will go in with an open mind, and if (the negotiations) come to a point where we’d love to bring him in – we think he’d really add to our side,” Walls said.
“We also have to consider if it’s too much in terms of both the length of the contract and the picks we’re giving up.
It’s a view shared by the CEO.
“We are hopeful, but the brutal reality is that he (Bolton) is contracted for four years, so Richmond can dig their heels in, they can flat-out say no,” Garlick said.
“We have a strong desire to bring Shai to our football Club, but we’ve got to be responsible too.”
