Having parted company with Thomas,North Melbourne will not seek to hold him on the club list and ask for a trade – allowing him to be snared as a free agent by any of the 17 other clubs,at the end of this season.
Former North Melbourne footballer Tarryn Thomas.Getty Images
But Thomas can only be signed by another club with the approval of the AFL,under the terms of his 18-match suspension for inappropriate behaviour towards a woman,the talented player also having to complete an education course before he can resume in the AFL.
North and Thomas’s management are close to reaching a financial settlement that would see him paid a greatly reduced share of his estimated $700,000 contract for 2024,the last year of his deal with the Kangaroos.
Thomas will be available as a delisted free agent under the rules because the club made the call to remove him from the playing list,not the player.
Thomas’ situation – the rules that surround his next move,North’s position and the AFL’s requirements – were confirmed to this masthead by three industry sources familiar with North Melbourne’s stance,the relevant rules and the AFL’s position and who did not wish to be on record given the sensitivity.
Tarryn Thomas pictured during an AFL match at Marvel Stadium in June 2023.AFL Photos
Thomas cannot be picked up in the mid-season draft,but would be allowed to play in the state leagues once his suspension is over,subject to the AFL’s permission,the sources said.
Thomas was involved in a number of incidents over 2023 and this year – none of which resulted in criminal convictions,but which were sufficient for North to remove him from the team for a period and for the AFL to later suspend him for 18 matches – effectively ruling him out of this year’s season at the elite level.
Thomas,who turned 24 last Monday,is technically still on North Melbourne’s list,even though he is no longer part of the club. The AFL rules do not allow for him to be available for the mid-season draft.
A number of clubs are expected to investigate the feasibility of recruiting Thomas,a high-end talent,but there is no indication,as yet,where he could land,nor how many clubs would be willing to explore picking up a highly talented young footballer with a chequered record off the field.
Thomas,while he spent time in Tasmania and thus was tied to North as a Next-Generation Academy (NGA) recruit (for Indigenous or multicultural players) in 2018,also grew up in Sydney’s west and has family in the harbour city,which could put him on the radar of the Giants and Swans,albeit those clubs already own strong playing lists.
Swans great and current board member Michael O’Loughlin sought to help Thomas on a personal level at one stage by sourcing a job for the young footballer.
North Melbourne president Sonja Hood and CEO Jennifer Watt.Jason South
Thomas’ appeal will rest on his undoubted talent and also on the fact that he can simply be signed,without any trade or draft cost. But the clubs that consider him also will weigh up the potential risks.
on February 21 after the AFL found he had threatened a woman in direct messages multiple times,imposing an 18-match ban.
“The club has provided Tarryn with significant time,resources and support,but we’ve now arrived at a point where the individual’s needs don’t match those of the club,” North chief executive Jennifer Watt said.
“We know Tarryn needs help – for himself and for the women in his life – but it’s clear the path we’ve taken over the past 12 months hasn’t had the desired impact.
“To that end,we have made the decision to end Tarryn’s time at North Melbourne.
“This decision doesn’t come lightly or easily. We brought Tarryn to the club as a teenager and we acknowledge that he has faced complex and challenging circumstances over his life.
“We hope Tarryn will find the support that is right for him and that he does the work required to be the best version of himself.”
It is a measure of Thomas’s raw ability that he finished sixth in the Kangaroos’ best and fairest last year,despite playing only 12 of their 23 matches following an early season club suspension.
Keep up to date with the best AFL coverage in the country..