Hamish Brayshaw will take on a role as the midfield coach for West Coast’s AFLW team, saying he hopes his experience as captain of the Eagles’ WAFL side will help in 2022.

The 23-year-old said he was excited by the opportunity and despite having no prior coaching experience, was confident he could make an impact as the Eagles eye a maiden finals campaign.

“With my WAFL captaincy last year I feel like I was almost an on-field coach at times there as well, so I have had experiences there that probably outdo my age,” Brayshaw told club media.

“I’m looking to pass that on and just little tips and tricks as a midfielder myself that I can hopefully pass onto these girls and impart them with a little bit of knowledge they otherwise wouldn’t have had.

“But they’re very, very willing and open to learning so that’s what I’ve been given the past month and I’m really, really grateful for that, and hopefully they continue that mindset going forward.”

The rookie coach hopes to bring a “more contested, hard nosed” brand of football to the AFLW club, who finished their third year in the competition in 12th spot.

“Obviously I was very invested in the team last year, watched all of their games, and saw how they went about it.

“I saw things that we could probably improve on, and the hardness and contested football was one of them, that’s something that I pride myself on when I’m playing and hopefully I can impart them with that same pride.

“That’s what I’ll hopefully be bringing, a more contested, hardnosed style of football, playing a bit more on the line, a bit more on the edge, with aggression and with control.

“So, I think we’ve got the midfield group to do it, I think we’ve got the talent, we’ve got the strength, we’ve got the side, so hopefully we can put it altogether and make it work.”

Brayshaw first joined the club with pick 68 in the 2017 draft, the same year younger brother, Andrew, was picked up by cross-town rivals Fremantle.

He was delisted at the end of the 2019 season before re-joining the club as a rookie selection - making his maiden appearance the following season.

He was not offered a contract for 2021, but remained in blue and gold as skipper of the reserves side.

Brayshaw signed a two-year deal with East Perth when the WAFL Eagles announced they were withdrawing from the competition but could make his way back into the nest as a player after fellow clubs agreed to allow the team to return in 2022.