On March 5, 2016, players arrived in Beacon for the overnight training camp around 10am.

It had been arranged the players to sleep in swags inside the recreation centre situated on the football oval after a day of training, and some socialising in the evening.

After training, lunch and a game of cricket, the players cracked open their first beers on the oval at around 5pm.

Mr Thompson, along with football coach Ryan Miguel, reminded players at that time of a fatal crash which had occurred nearby involving two men who were driving home from a pub.

“Hand your keys up fellas,” Mr Thompson said at the time, in support of drivers settling in for the night and not driving home after drinking alcohol.

It was obvious (Brendan) has been drinking for a while but he was speaking fluently and he could walk fine.

Coach Ryan Miguel

The team and its committee members then enjoyed a roast dinner and beers at the country club before purchasing takeaway alcohol and moving to the football oval tables to continue drinking at around 11:30pm.

During the evening, Mr Miguel said two players became involved in some “banter” and began to wrestle.

The wrestle, however, became too physical for one of the players and led to Jonathon Milner, who had driven to Beacon with Mr Thompson, becoming upset.

Mr Miguel, during evidence given at the coronial inquest, said Mr Milner wanted to leave the camp and return to Perth around 2am, following the altercation.

“Mr Milner became upset and wanted to return to Perth and obviously came up with Brendan so that was his means of returning back,” he said.

“It was obvious (Brendan) has been drinking for a while but he was speaking fluently and he could walk fine.

“I just thought they were going to eventually go to sleep.”

Mr Miguel testified he advised Mr Thompson not to drive and went to sleep at 2:30am.

When he woke up, only four out of the 16 players intended to stay the night at the oval, had done so.

He said he was disappointed most had gone to the houses of local players to sleep.

It’s estimated Mr Thompson and Mr Milner, however, left the oval in Mr Thompson’s car between 4:30am and 5am, after attempts by teammates to encourage them not to drive home had failed.

“I’m pretty confident (Brendan) didn’t sleep.” Mr Milner said.

At 6.30am, Mr Thompson and Mr Milner stopped at a service station to use the bathrooms and purchase an energy drink.

Less than 30 minutes later, Mr Thompson was killed instantly after colliding head on with a tree.

Mr Milner, who was sleeping in the back seat, crawled out the passenger’s window and lay on the road following the crash.

Counsel Assisting the Coroner, Darren Jones, said police believed Mr Thompson, who had a blood-alcohol level of 0.114 and had not slept for more than 24 hours, fell asleep at the wheel.

His vehicle veered onto the wrong side of the road, and hit the gravel shoulder before it skidded and turned sharply to the left, over-correcting and veering into a tree six metres off the road.

During evidence, Mr Miguel said the football camp was the first time it had been arranged players would sleep in swags at the recreation centre.

“Not everyone had swags so we accommodated for that and brought more,” he said.

“Obviously the accommodation wasn’t a perfect scenario, so that probably could have been done a little better.

“City people aren’t familiar with sleeping in swags on the ground like country people are.”

Mr Miguel said there hadn’t been any football camps at the club since Mr Thompson’s death, and that he wished he had never planned it.

He also conceded players, during the season, usually travelled by club bus to away games and Perth players were also offered a bus to travel to Beacon home games, although most chose to car pool.

No bus was offered for the pre-season camp.

Toxicologist expert Professor Anthony David Joyce, said a combination of a blood-alcohol limit of 0.114 and fatigue would have compounded Mr Thompson’s ability to drive.

He said he estimated Mr Thompson would have drunk around 19 standard drinks during the evening.

“Most people at 0.114 would not look drunk,” he said.

“A few moments talking to that person may reveal their line of thinking... and some emotionality... which would be present in a person with a blood-alcohol limit above 0.1 percent.”

Mr Joyce said, given the activities of the training day, Mr Thompson would have also been extremely tired.

The training included a 2.4 kilometre run, one kilometre tractor tyre roll, one kilometre pine log walk, a 1.8 kilometre tyre pull followed by a swimming relay and a 3.5 kilometre run.

Mr Miguel said the drills were inspired by similar camps he had attended while playing in the WAFL.

Counsel appearing on behalf of Mr Thompson’s mother, David Cox, questioned how the physical training, along with fatigue, could have contributed to the student journalist’s death.

Coroner Ros Fogliani will hand down her findings into the cause of Mr Thompson’s death following the inquest.

Mrs Thompson, who was in court to hear the inquest, declined to comment.