Tarryn Thomas has had a stark public warning from North Melbourne that his AFL career will end quickly if he fails to change his behaviour.
The utility returned to Arden St on Monday after nearly a month away, with Thomas to face court again on March 2 over allegations he breached a court order.
While football manager Todd Viney insisted that the club was encouraged by Thomas’ progress of late, he made it clear that the player was on thin ice and must continue improving his off-field behaviour.
North had said on February 1 that Thomas was taking time away from the club over what they alleged were “serious and confronting” threats of violence towards women.
CLICK HERE for a seven-day free trial to watch the AFL on Kayo Sports.
“We’re trying to help a 22-year-old become a man. Speaking for myself, at 22, I didn’t really know what life was about,” Viney said.
Tarryn Thomas. (Photo by Dylan Burns/AFL Photos via Getty Images)
“Tarryn is a young guy who has made lot of mistakes – taking ownership, learning about what he can do to get better, and that’s where we’re at.
“In this environment you behave yourself into an AFL program and behave yourself out of an AFL program. Continue to display the wrong habits and you find your way out of the industry.”
Viney said there was no timeframe on when Thomas might be available for selection, adding that “it’s going to be hard” for the player to regain his teammates’ trust.
“We certainly don’t condone any of that type of behaviour,” he said.
“But we’re happy with his attitude and his accountability to some of the things we’ve asked him to address.
“There’s no excuses, there’s no blaming – there’s accountability for his role in the language he’s used.”
He said Thomas had spoken to his teammates on Monday.
Viney added that Thomas’ court dramas had created a lot of tension around the club “for all the wrong reasons”.
Coach Alastair Clarkson also has been in hot water, with the revelation that he personally apologised to a female reporter for the way he spoke to her on February 1, when the Thomas story had media descending on Arden St.
Viney said the Thomas and Clarkson situations were “apples and oranges”, but revealed the coach had been spoken to about his notoriously hot temper..
“He’s certainly very strong-willed. You don’t do what he’s done in footy without being strong willed,” Viney said.
“Part of my role as GM of footy is to control that, make sure he’s not a ‘bulldozer’, in his words.
“Ninety-nine percent of what Clarko does is first-class. We all have our strengths and we then have our weaknesses.
“We’ve spoken about how he needs to tighten up … stay cool, calm and collected when the heat’s on. We expect that from our players and we expect it of our coaches.”
Clarkson said he cannot guarantee it will not flare up again. It was the latest of several run-ins that Clarkson has had during his AFL career, which featured four premierships as Hawthorn coach.
“You’d think, with the experience … I’ve continually learned my lessons,” he told the Seven Network. “But this has been with me ever since I was a kid – if I see something unjust or untoward, I will defend – and I saw something that was unjust and untoward.
(Photo by Darrian Traynor/Getty Images)
“I felt like I needed to defend our players and staff and I can’t give a guarantee I won’t do that again in the future.”
But Clarkson admitted this latest incident had given him pause for thought. “It was a wake-up call for me, because it was confrontational,” he said.
“I spoke to a female journalist in a manner that I didn’t think was condescending in any way whatsoever, really, except that I thought her behaviour was untoward – and she took offence to that. I apologised in the next couple of hours to her.”
Clarkson also dismissed commentary that it’s a problem for himself and the Kangaroos. “I haven’t really lost control … because I was doing what I thought was in the best interests of the club,” he said.
He also defended Thomas by saying “to be fair, everyone has issues in their life”.
“You come in at 17-18 years of age and somewhere along the way, just the wheels fall off for a period of time,” Clarkson said.
Clarkson, Brisbane coach Chris Fagan and former colleague Jason Burt are also the subjects of an ongoing racism investigation, stemming from their time at Hawthorn.
“It’s tough when you have to confront these types of allegations, but we know the program we put in place at that club over a long period of time and we know the care we had for all people in that club,” Clarkson said. “It was the reason the club was so successful in that period.”
Clarkson, in his first season at Arden St, is bullish about what the lowly Kangaroos can achieve.
“I’m excited … trying to get them to believe that, yeah, they’re 18th for a reason, but they can get to first if they want,” he said.
Who’s in your ultimate team? Pick the best team and compete with other fans for daily prizes on Draftstars. For the best odds on the game try out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Think. Is this a bet you really want to place? Set a deposit limit.
There’s no disputing that Cam Guthrie will be important against Melbourne, given Patrick Dangerfield is set to miss due to injury.
The former Collingwood president says the Kangaroos need to 'stand for something' not just on the field but in the community or risk being…
Collingwood led by a point with minutes to go, Kyle Langford had the chance to be the hero with a set shot, however, he missed, and we saw the first draw of the season.
Tristan Xerri ran to the opposite wing mid-play during North Melbourne's loss to Adelaide, and Kane Cornes was at a loss as to why..
We’re taking a look at one player from each team that needs to make a difference this week, starting with the ANZAC Day games.
Round 5 of the AFL provided plenty of action, from big scorelines to upset wins and pressure starting to build on some clubs and coaches already.
