Brayden Ainsworth

DOB

21/11/98

Height

183cm

Weight

75kg

Junior club

Subiaco/Esperance Ports JFC

Arrived

Pick 32 in the 2017 national draft

Number

33

Debut

Round 8 2018 vs GWS Giants
(241st Eagles player)

Games

15

Goals

4

B&F Top 10

0

Best Finish

23rd (2018)

Last app.

Round 7 2021 vs Fremantle

Departed

Delisted at the end of the 2021 season

Other clubs

Subiaco (WAFL) 2017
East Perth (WAFL) 2018
Perth (WAFL) 2022

Esperance midfielder Brayden Ainsworth spent four season on West Coast's list after being taken in the 2017 draft.

West Coast career[]

After playing senior football for Ports at the age of 16, Ainsworth moved to Perth in 2017 to play full-time for Subiaco and was rewarded with selection in the State under-18 side where he joined fellow draftee Oscar Allen in the All-Australian side before playing in the Lions' reserves premiership.^[1]

Ainsworth impressed during the pre-season, and was selected as an emergency several times before finally making his debut against the Giants. He made two more appearances for the year, spending the majority of the season in East Perth's engine room.

Over the offseason, he underwent surgery to correct a deformity in his little finger - caused by a childhood accident - that was affecting his ball drop and subsequently his kicking.^[2] He struggled to find his form of the previous year and did not add to his tally of senior games, although he performed reasonably in the midfield for West Coast's standalone WAFL side.

Despite being unable to ply his wares in the WAFL in the pandemic-affected 2020 season, Ainsworth was able to force his way into the senior side and played nine games, including the Eagles' elimination final loss, playing in a variety of positions including wing and defensive forward. He found himself out of favour in 2021, making just two appearances as the medical sub, and only taking the field for one of them. He was delisted at the end of the season.

Post-AFL career[]

Ainsworth signed with Perth for the 2022 season. He made a surprise return to West Coast's lineup early in 2022 when he was one of a number of contingency list players called up to play North Melbourne.

Stats[]

AFL	Gm	G	B	K	M	H	D	T	Cl	WAFL	Gm	G	B	K	M	H	D	T
2018	3	1	0	27	10	14	41	13	5	EP	14	10	9	233	82	119	352	46
2019	0									WCE	15	1	9	177	47	138	315	43
2020	9	3	1	44	26	33	77	12	3	N/A
2021	2	0	0	0	1	4	4	0	1	WCE	15	4	1	190	73	199	389	35
Tot	14	4	1	71	37	51	122	25	9
Avg		0.3		5.1	2.6	3.6	8.7	1.8	0.6