WAFL 2025: East Perth captain Hamish Brayshaw admits pain of grand final defeat is driving the Royals forward

East Perth captain Hamish Brayshaw has admitted his side is using the pain of last season’s grand final defeat for motivation as they look to go one win better in 2025. The Royals claimed last season’s minor premiership and sealed a place in the season decider with a dominant 47-point semifinal win over Swan Districts but were well short of their best on the biggest day of the season, where the Thunder beat them by 33 points. Ross McQueen’s side have started 2025 with three consecutive wins, the most recent of which came in a hard-fought 11-point victory over Claremont at Sullivan Logistics Stadium on Friday night. Behind by four goals inside the game’s first 15 minutes and having trailed for the entirety of the contest, the Royals hit the front for the first time in the middle stages of the final term, kicking five of the final six goals to come away with the points. Brayshaw said his side had not been afraid to bring up their disappointing end to 2024 as they gear up for another assault on the premiership. “We’ve got a pretty different-looking team, but there’s still a good core of us that feel that burn and want to go one better,” he said. “A night like tonight is as finals-like as we can have at this stage of the year. “We’re trying to get in a position to win those big games and, even if we’re behind, not give up. “It still burns us and we use that to drive us forward but tonight’s a good time to reflect on how far we’ve come.” Brayshaw had formed part of a star-studded on-ball trio alongside Mitch Crowden and Angus Schumacher in recent years but his two midfield running mates both departed for the SANFL over the off-season. The 2023 Sandover Medal winner said he felt no extra pressure in the wake of the duo’s departures and was confident his side had the depth to cover for them. “We lost a couple of good players but we get a few guys back in. Christian (Ameduri) has come back inside, Liam Tedesco and Tom North get a bit more of a run through there,” he said. “It’s a different looking team but I feel like we’re more well-balanced. We’ve lost a couple of stars but we make up for it.” One member of the Royals midfield core who has remained is ruckman Scott Jones, who had an enthralling battle with Claremont’s Oliver Eastland on the night. Brayshaw said it was a “blessing” to spend every week at the feet of his “incredible” big man. “I take it for granted sometimes,” he said. “It was a battle of the two best rucks in the competition and I think Jonesy probably had his measure tonight. They have really good battles every time.” The Tigers’ fast start was driven by some early dominance in the middle of the ground but the Royals ended up with a 37-30 clearance advantage by the end of the game, with Brayshaw saying his midfield had to go back to basics after the slow start. “Ollie’s a really good ruck, he got his hands on it, they’ve got some good midfielders and they were just able to come out the front a bit easily,” he said. “I think after the fourth goal, we just tried to get in different positions, if they we’re going to win it, make sure they had to go back.”