Blessed with a seemingly bottomless aerobic capacity, Brett Bewley had to work long and hard for his AFL chance.
Bewley played his junior football at Darley in Melbourne’s western outskirts and attended St Pat’s Ballarat – a school renowned for producing AFL talent. He went on to Captain the Western Jets before joining VFL club Williamstown, where he rose through the ranks to be a dual VFL Team of The Year selection and represent the VFL.
It took 70 VFL Senior matches before Bewley was selected by Fremantle with pick 59 in the 2018 NAB AFL Draft. The midfielder produced an eye-catching pre-season before making his AFL debut in Round 10 against Brisbane, playing in wins in each of his first games for the Dockers. He played an increasingly important role on a wing for Fremantle in 2020, playing 12 games before a groin injury ended his season.
A carpenter prior to being drafted, Bewley has settled in comfortably to life in the west alongside his partner. He is a keen gamer but also enjoys watching footy, whether it be current games to learn something new or find an edge, or past classics.
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.