WAFL Grand Final 2024: East Perth roll the dice on Hamish Brayshaw as Will Brodie and Nathan Wilson return

Peel Thunder’s premiership hopes have been boosted by the return of star midfielder Will Brodie, but it means heartbreak for wingman Ethan Stanley. Brodie has been named for the clash against East Perth at Optus Stadium, having been a late withdrawal from the preliminary final win over Swan Districts with a badly corked leg. The Fremantle-listed midfielder joins former Dockers defender Nathan Wilson as the inclusions for the Thunder, with the latter returning from suspension. Stanley and small forward Luen Colton have been forced to make way for the returning star duo as the only two changes for Peel as they seek their third WAFL premiership. For Stanley, it’s a hard-luck story having played 14 games this season including the last 12 as a hard-running wingman. The Fremantle rookie has struggled in the finals though with only 18 possessions across the two matches which left him vulnerable. Colton came in for the suspended Wilson last week, but the 22-year-old couldn’t cement his place in the decider with only five touches and a tackle in the thumping win over the Swans. Top WA draft prospect Bo Allan has retained his spot in the side after being the late inclusion for Brodie last weekend, collecting 12 disposals and five tackles as a big-bodied midfielder. Brodie’s inclusion means the Thunder have named 11 Fremantle-listed players, one less than the rules allow them to. Stanley, Colton as well as Dockers youngsters Max Knobel and Ollie Murphy have been named as emergencies. Earlier this week, Peel Thunder coach Adam Read acknowledged there would be some hard luck stories in their pursuit of a flag. “That’s the challenge and we’ve spoken all year, it’s a squad mentality,” Read said. “There’s been stories in the past. I work with one in (Fremantle assistant) Jaymie Graham who missed out on a grand final for West Coast after playing every game. “It’s going to be a tough conversation if it comes that way but the maturity of our young men I back them in to be able to handle themselves.” The Royals have rolled the dice on Sandover medallist and co-captain Hamish Brayshaw who will play his first game in more than seven weeks in the decider. Brayshaw sustained a Lisfranc injury in the round 18 win over West Perth and hasn’t played since, but was declared fit earlier this week. The former West Coast rookie has dropped about 8km since the injury to get his body right, having battled injuries all season that restricted him to only 11 games. Brayshaw’s return means heartbreak for wingman Nathan Eaton, who has been dropped despite a strong performance in the second semifinal win a fortnight ago. The 27-year-old has been in and out of the Royals’ side all season but played the final four games of the season with 19 touches in the finals win over Swan Districts. It means the Royals will be near full-strength as they look to claim their first premiership in 22 years, with only hard-nosed defender Nick Robertson (calf), Zach Raykos (illness) and last year’s leading goalkicker Mitchell Schofield (foot) missing from their best 22. While the Thunder have nearly a dozen Dockers at their disposal, Brayshaw was confident the Royals could match them on the big stage. “They’re all good players but at the end of the day being at on an AFL list and on a WAFL list, the training, in my opinion, and some people at an AFL club might not agree, but I think it’s pretty similar,” he said. “The level of training you do, the level of gym you have to do it’s just crammed into three hours a night, three nights a week as opposed to having every day to do it. “They certainly get a leg up in the resources that they have and all the rest, but at the end of the day when you go out on the park on Sunday, they’re just players. “We’ve got everything that you need to be a successful footballer and yes they’ve got a bit more time up their sleeve, but I don’t care what they do Monday to Friday, when it comes to a game on Sunday, we just go out and beat them.” WAFL GRAND FINAL EAST PERTH v PEEL THUNDER Sunday, Optus Stadium, 3.20pm ROYALS B: H Macreadie B Fullgrabe R Saunders HB: S Wright S Watts K Willcocks C: A Scott H Brayshaw J Sturrock HF: C Ameduri T Medhat S Van Diemen F: L Tedesco T Graham S Hille FOLL: S Jones M Crowden A Schumacher I/C: Z Hill J Msando To North M Randall EMG: N Bonomelli N Eaton J Edwards J Peak IN: H Brayshaw OUT: N Eaton (omitted) THUNDER B: J Hewitt H Davies M Sellwood HB: K Worner E Hughes B Hancock C: B Grey B Bell N O’Driscoll HF: T Emmett C Tregenza S Tuia F: J Sears M Taberner P Voss FOLL: L Reidy B Allan N Erasmus I/C: W Brodie C Simpson N Wilson T Wyburd EMG: L Colton M Knobel O Murphy E Stanley IN: W Brodie N Wilson OUT: L Colton E Stanley (both omitted)