Richmond triple premiership defender Nathan Broad has a growing interest in returning home to Perth, sources have told The West Australian.

The West Australian understands Broad — who is out of contract at the end of this season — wants to return to Perth after nearly 11 years at Punt Road for family reasons.

Rebuilding West Coast would be his most likely destination, where he would link up with former Tigers interim coach Andrew McQualter.

Any potential move to WA could also include an off-field role.

Broad is a free agent at the end of this year after he signed a two-year deal in 2024 to remain at the Tigers amid strong interest from North Melbourne.

The 32-year-old has developed into a strong leader at the Tigers, having played 173 games since being drafted out of Swan Districts as a mature-age prospect with pick No.67 in 2015.

Broad is a life member at the Tigers after playing in their three premierships (2017, 2019, and 2020), while he has won the Francis Bourke Award for the Players’ Player in the past three seasons.

He also represented WA in the historic AFL Origin clash against Victoria at Optus Stadium earlier this year.

The Eagles have made no secret about their desire to surround their growing plethora of talented youngsters with mature-age footballers to help their rebuild.

Broad’s former Richmond teammates, Liam Baker and Jack Graham, joined the Eagles in 2024, while fellow former Tiger Tylar Young was traded to Mineral Resources Park last year.

West Coast has also brought in the likes of Matt Owies (Carlton), Brandon Starcevich, Deven Robertson (both Brisbane), Harry Scheonberg (Adelaide), and Finlay Macrae (Collingwood) to complement their high-end draftees.

McQualter also has a connection with Broad, having been a long-time assistant at Richmond, including taking over in an interim capacity after three-time premiership coach Damien Hardwick stepped down in the middle of the 2023 season.

The Eagles coach has made significant changes to his team since he joined the Eagles in late 2024, bringing over former Hawthorn development coach and Adelaide head of development Marco Bello that year.

Former Melbourne midfield coach Sam Radford and Geelong premiership player Mitch Duncan were also added to the coaching staff late last year.

West Coast are set to be an active player on the trade market in the next few years, with The West Australian revealing last month that they were one of several clubs interested in out-of-contract Gold Coast forward Jed Walter.

Walter has a strong connection with Western Australia, having grown up in Perth until he was eight, and he was also once an Eagles supporter.

The Eagles have also been linked to several West Australians, including Sydney superstar Chad Warner, Port Adelaide forward Mitch Georgiades, and Melbourne premiership defender Trent Rivers, who are all out of contract at the end of next year.

Warner is expected to command close to $2m at the end of next season as one of the most high-profile free agents on the market.