Brett Bewley is no stranger to hard work. Prior to being drafted by Fremantle in 2018, he worked full time as a carpenter while juggling his football and training with VFL club Williamstown.

Even prior to the league shutdown, the midfielder finds he has more free time on his hands in the AFL system.

“(In the VFL) a lot of your days were working eight or nine hours on the tools, and then you train for a couple hours, get home at nine, go to bed and wake up to go again the next day,” Bewley told SportFM.

“Your days are really structured in that sense.”

“I found when I got into the AFL system there’s that window where you’re away from the club and you really need to try and find some meaningful things to do in that time.

“Whether that’s trying to be a better footballer or just exploring different things to do.

“In your own time it’s a good chance, even if it’s just half an hour a day, just to work on something that you need to work on.

“We do plenty of touch work (at the club), but it’s a good opportunity when you’re away from the club to keep refining those skills.

“It also gives you a bit of a mental edge as well.”

Bewley now has even more downtime in the league shutdown, but his mind hasn’t strayed too far from footy.

“I had a bit of surgery after the Essendon game so I spent a week or so on the PlayStation, but I’ve also found some more productive things to do,” Bewley said.

“In the afternoons, I’ll just put on Fox Footy. They’ve been playing a fair few good replays so I’ve been sitting down and watching a replay from yesteryear.”

While a handful of his teammates headed back to Victoria prior to the borders closing, Bewley said he was pleased he made the call to stay in WA.

“Me and my partner elected to stay, we just thought it would be easier with the unpredictability of what’s going to happen and when we might be required back at the club,” Bewley said.

“The weather’s been pretty good so it hasn’t been a bad decision to stay.

“I’ve really enjoyed my time over in WA. It’s a lot different to Victoria.

“I had never really been to the beach that much when I was growing up, so it’s all new to me.”