Past #26: Tarryn Thomas [Part II] - will honor his contract and play on at NMFC in 2024, so says the reality TV manager

[Le Grille]

We’ll see.

I just think it’s a lot harder to swing. Alcohol/Drug abuse is a bit easier to rehabilitate in terms of an acceptance way

 

[DesertRoo]

No, I'm not. He's received a punishment and completed certain trainings. He is navigating a complex time of a disability diagnosis and, while not justifying behaviour, does explain some poor choices. He is engaged actively with the club psychologist and on medication, both of which have helped enormously. I wanted him sacked last year; that's not what has happened and provided he keeps engaging with the programs the club has asked him to complete, then he can remain on the list. I felt he had too many chances last year and agreed with the decision to stand him down. The current situation is a man working to improve his life and taking all the steps to do so.

If it emerges Thomas has ADHD or another disability AND is willing to change his behaviour, then my stance will change. But from the evidence at hand, sacking is the right choice here.

TT is in the middle of that exact process figuring out what’s up.
He’s getting help, hes with the AFL players association and some of the best coaching/support staff in the business.(we certainly couldn’t say that last year) Help isn’t a linear process
No one here is condoning his behaviour.
But some things you have to let play out because it could end up a very dark place for TT if he gets dumped from the club.

 

[blackshadow]

Anyway pineapple on pizza what’s the go there?

 

[Harris 10]

The biggest problem in all of this is TT is still being paid a wage.

Cut him off completely and see if that wakes him up, but the AFLPA won’t allow that.

 

[Merlin007]

The biggest problem in all of this is TT is still being paid a wage.

Cut him off completely and see if that wakes him up, but the AFLPA won’t allow that.

I agree that doing without his 700k a year might help his concentration, but suspension without pay doesn't figure in many collective bargaining agreements

 

[blackshadow]

The biggest problem in all of this is TT is still being paid a wage.

Cut him off completely and see if that wakes him up, but the AFLPA won’t allow that.

Can the AFL integrity unit deregister a player for a period of time?

Three years for bringing the game into disrepute?

Surely something like that would void the player contract and also put them out of reach of other clubs for some time.

 

[Mav]

Was he ever charged with domestic violence?

I thought he was charged with breaking a court order in relation to DV accusations. Hard to keep track. Abuse, DV, threats, its all much worse than recreational drug use. Every club now has an AFLW program and the last thing you want is someone like Thomas coming to your club.

 

[giantroo]

Spoiler

North Melbourne could face a payout of up to $1 million if it cuts ties with troubled midfielder Tarryn Thomas

26

Tarryn Thomas

Age

24

Ht

190cm

Wt

83kg

Pos.

Mid

Career

Season

Last 5

D

11.0

3star

K

5.3

2star

HB

5.7

4star

M

2.1

2star

T

3.3

5star

CL

0.9

3star

D

7.8

2star

K

4.0

1star

HB

3.8

3star

M

1.3

1star

T

3.2

4star

CL

0.2

2star

D

12.8

4star

K

6.2

3star

HB

6.6

4star

M

2.8

3star

T

3.8

5star

CL

0.4

3star

as frustration mounts over his alleged behaviour towards women.

Thomas’ AFL career is at the crossroads as the league investigates fresh allegations he has sent threatening and intimidating text messages to a woman.

The club had already made a decision to stand Thomas down due to his lack of progress in a respect and responsibility counselling program, following separate claims from multiple women alleging Thomas had threatened them.

In particular, Kangaroos’ chief executive Jennifer Watt said Thomas’ failure to meet expectations in this area had triggered “a new plan to address his issues of accountability, remorse and behaviour change”.

It is the second time this year North has had to stand Thomas down due to his off-field behaviour despite the club’s strong efforts to help educate the man who turns 23 on Saturday.

It means the Roos will have to seriously consider parting ways with Thomas which could cost the club up to $1 million of his contract over the next two years.

Tarryn Thomas

26

Tarryn Thomas

Age

24

Ht

190cm

Wt

83kg

Pos.

Mid

Career

Season

Last 5

D

11.0

3star

K

5.3

2star

HB

5.7

4star

M

2.1

2star

T

3.3

5star

CL

0.9

3star

D

7.8

2star

K

4.0

1star

HB

3.8

3star

M

1.3

1star

T

3.2

4star

CL

0.2

2star

D

12.8

4star

K

6.2

3star

HB

6.6

4star

M

2.8

3star

T

3.8

5star

CL

0.4

3star

has been stood down by North Melbourne. Picture: Getty Images

It is understood Thomas is on about $500,000 for each of the 2023-24 seasons following a new deal in February last year when he was considered one of the club’s best young players.

Despite his behavioural concerns, the club would have to reach a financial agreement with Thomas if it terminated his contract, potentially allowing him to make a fresh start at a new club next year.

The AFL Players’ Association is satisfied with the way the Kangaroos have handled the matter regarding Thomas which included welcoming him back to the club and into the VFL team for practice matches earlier this month.

While the move raised eyebrows across the football industry, the Kangaroos received strong advice that his best chance of making meaningful changes in his life was part of a structured club environment.

But football manager Todd Viney said the club was concerned by the fresh allegations and was adamant Thomas had not made the progress expected of him in recent months.

“We’ve seen some improvement in some of the understanding and accountability around that program we put in place,” Viney said.

“Unfortunately, he is still not quite at the level (required) and that’s been our own observations but also the observations from the key providers of some of those services we’ve put in place.

“So Tarryn’s still got some work to be done in that area before he’s available to play for the football club.

The Roos say Thomas is disappointed about the decision. Picture: Getty Images

“Second to that, we are aware of the new allegations that are against Tarryn.

“So this is a serious concern to us again, it’s with AFL integrity.

“With respect to and consideration to the victim of these allegations, we’re not at liberty to say too much around those details out of respect for her.”

Thomas was keen to re-ignite his career this year after a disappointing 2022 season, but will be forced to train away from the club while the Roos consider their next steps.

Viney said Thomas was not happy with the club’s decision to stand him down, again.

“I spent some time with him yesterday. He is disappointed,” Viney said.

“He thinks he has made some progress.

“So when we broke the news that we don’t think he is quite ready, he took it quite hard. We haven’t put a timeframe on it (stand down period).”

Coach Alastair Clarkson said he would leave the Thomas matter with other senior figures at the club as the Roos attempt to notch another upset win against Fremantle in Perth on Saturday night.

​

The Kangas won their first game under Clarkson over West Coast on Saturday at Marvel Stadium.

“It (Thomas matter) is in pretty good hands in terms of Todd and the club and it is in pretty good hands in terms of AFL integrity,” Clarkson said on Friday.

 

[Horizons_00]

I don’t even know what he posted on insta but what has he actually been accused of now?

Sorry I’ve tried to read the past 89 pages lol

I’ve also read on YouTube that there was an argument with the senior players and Tarryn few days ago.

 

[DunderHead]

Clearly evidencing that he hasn’t met his performance plan.

Creating a new plan. If he hits all the metrics then they will have to honour his contract. If he fails, they will be able to say they gave him clear feedback, opportunity to learn and support to do better, he’s just not capable of meeting his obligations as an employeee - yada yada

 

[El Triggso]

IMO so what if he leaves and redeems himself somewhere else? (As galling as that may be)

I’d rather take that (hypothetical) risk than accepting the the actual reality today that we pay him $750k to not play, allegedly divide the playing group, trash our brand and risk lowering the bar for what the other 40-odd blokes might get away with.

Let’s hope he sorts himself out, but I’m happy he does it elsewhere tbh.

 

[Makeshift Park]

I enjoy all the takes on here but there's an awful lot of grandstanding around Tarryn. There must've been a lot of people here who were "finished products" at 22-23yo based on this thread.

Putting a "program" in place isn't some magic elixir that is going to "fix" someone if you work on the assumption they have issues to fix. Pick whatever pigheaded notion any of us had in our heads in our teens or around Tarryn's age that deep down, nobody was going to fix for us.

He's a kid without much proper robust support as far as I can interpret. And he's been allowed to go full Bernard Tomic in his own head and has probably learnt to say the right things under scrutiny and filter out the hard truths being told to him in the process. Doesn't mean you kick him to the curb either from a football or welfare perspective.

I appreciate how you've offered some useful counterviews to balance and humanise this thread KC.

Even though we're working with limited facts here, I think its beyond doubt he's done some stupid shit. I'd like to think that if I'd behaved as dumb as he has publicly, I'd be as critical of myself as I have been on his behaviour.

And because he's chosen to become a footballer, as opposed to say a banking executive or a commercial lawyer, he's going to be held to a pretty unusual standard.

While I can't speak from experience, I imagine coming from an unstructured adolescent environment into a public life where you're expected to handle celebrity, considerable wealth and the expectations of being a role model, all that can do strange things your sense of self.

If I knew him personally, I'd just implore him to demonstrate a capacity for introspection. Now is the time when he needs to identify why this football caper has a purpose in his life beyond the prestige it gives him. It seems pretty clear that he hasn't been able to yet.

 

[ferball]

I have ADHD depression and I’m pretty much a broken man but I don’t go around touching up girls or being a *******

You alright mate.

 

[ferball]

the club has made it clear that he is working with specialists on several fronts.

And if this is the case and he's still working with them then perhaps part of this is a public kick the arse to get him working harder.

He might have just been banned by the club from social media and that post was him not following the ban. We don't know.

 

[ferball]

No, I'm not. He's received a punishment and completed certain trainings. He is navigating a complex time of a disability diagnosis and, while not justifying behaviour, does explain some poor choices. He is engaged actively with the club psychologist and on medication, both of which have helped enormously. I wanted him sacked last year; that's not what has happened and provided he keeps engaging with the programs the club has asked him to complete, then he can remain on the list. I felt he had too many chances last year and agreed with the decision to stand him down. The current situation is a man working to improve his life and taking all the steps to do so.

If it emerges Thomas has ADHD or another disability AND is willing to change his behaviour, then my stance will change. But from the evidence at hand, sacking is the right choice here.

De gGoey has been ****ing up for years. Thomas seemed fine till the end of 2021.

 

[ferball]

Again ADHD doesn’t explain/excuse this kind of behaviour.

The issue is the appetite to rectify the issues and change . JDG seems to have it TT not so much

He's had five more years to get his shit together and he only just started.

 

[Engimal v3]

Something tells me this 22 year old "kid" will be demonstrating the same behaviour when he's a 30 year old "kid"

If he can't meet his behavioural KPIs then **** him off out of the club.

He has such a great opportunity to lead a new era for the club, but he needs to pull his finger out big time.

 

[joybell27]

Tarryn has to acknowledge to himself that he has a problem with his behaviour. He then needs to be motivated and committed to making changes. It appears that he is going through the education program that has been set up for him because he has to, not because he genuinely believes he has a problem.

I really hope that he can turn his attitude and his life around.

 

[ferball]

Can the AFL integrity unit deregister a player for a period of time?

Three years for bringing the game into disrepute?

Surely something like that would void the player contract and also put them out of reach of other clubs for some time.

Yeah but he wouldn't be first on the list of players to deregister then.

 

[blackshadow]

While there appear to be some similarities between JDG and TT I feel they’re quite different.

JDG seems to be a dickhead when he’s out on the piss while TT appears to embrace a whole superstar persona in his socials and his “influencer” lifestyle and somewhere along the way that lifestyle/persona has overtaken his role as a decent person and footballer.

TT looks to have drunk too much of his own bath water JDG not so much.

 

[Le Grille]

He's had five more years to get his s**t together and he only just started.

Valid point but at present TT doesn’t seem interested

 

[Merlin007]

Spoiler

North Melbourne could face a payout of up to $1 million if it cuts ties with troubled midfielder Tarryn Thomas as frustration mounts over his alleged behaviour towards women.

Thomas’ AFL career is at the crossroads as the league investigates fresh allegations he has sent threatening and intimidating text messages to a woman.

The club had already made a decision to stand Thomas down due to his lack of progress in a respect and responsibility counselling program, following separate claims from multiple women alleging Thomas had threatened them.

In particular, Kangaroos’ chief executive Jennifer Watt said Thomas’ failure to meet expectations in this area had triggered “a new plan to address his issues of accountability, remorse and behaviour change”.

It is the second time this year North has had to stand Thomas down due to his off-field behaviour despite the club’s strong efforts to help educate the man who turns 23 on Saturday.

It means the Roos will have to seriously consider parting ways with Thomas which could cost the club up to $1 million of his contract over the next two years.

Tarryn Thomas has been stood down by North Melbourne. Picture: Getty Images

It is understood Thomas is on about $500,000 for each of the 2023-24 seasons following a new deal in February last year when he was considered one of the club’s best young players.

Despite his behavioural concerns, the club would have to reach a financial agreement with Thomas if it terminated his contract, potentially allowing him to make a fresh start at a new club next year.

The AFL Players’ Association is satisfied with the way the Kangaroos have handled the matter regarding Thomas which included welcoming him back to the club and into the VFL team for practice matches earlier this month.

While the move raised eyebrows across the football industry, the Kangaroos received strong advice that his best chance of making meaningful changes in his life was part of a structured club environment.

But football manager Todd Viney said the club was concerned by the fresh allegations and was adamant Thomas had not made the progress expected of him in recent months.

“We’ve seen some improvement in some of the understanding and accountability around that program we put in place,” Viney said.

“Unfortunately, he is still not quite at the level (required) and that’s been our own observations but also the observations from the key providers of some of those services we’ve put in place.

“So Tarryn’s still got some work to be done in that area before he’s available to play for the football club.

The Roos say Thomas is disappointed about the decision. Picture: Getty Images

“Second to that, we are aware of the new allegations that are against Tarryn.

“So this is a serious concern to us again, it’s with AFL integrity.

“With respect to and consideration to the victim of these allegations, we’re not at liberty to say too much around those details out of respect for her.”

Thomas was keen to re-ignite his career this year after a disappointing 2022 season, but will be forced to train away from the club while the Roos consider their next steps.

Viney said Thomas was not happy with the club’s decision to stand him down, again.

“I spent some time with him yesterday. He is disappointed,” Viney said.

“He thinks he has made some progress.

“So when we broke the news that we don’t think he is quite ready, he took it quite hard. We haven’t put a timeframe on it (stand down period).”

Coach Alastair Clarkson said he would leave the Thomas matter with other senior figures at the club as the Roos attempt to notch another upset win against Fremantle in Perth on Saturday night.

​

The Kangas won their first game under Clarkson over West Coast on Saturday at Marvel Stadium.

“It (Thomas matter) is in pretty good hands in terms of Todd and the club and it is in pretty good hands in terms of AFL integrity,” Clarkson said on Friday.

mmm, makes a good headline, but I'm a bit unconvinced ... gross misconduct is grounds for termination, and a criminal conviction would bring that into play; his lawyer (and maybe the AFLPA) would argue that it's conduct in his personal life, but when his Insta account is full of photos of him wearing a North guernsey, he can't really argue that his private conduct does not have a reputational consequence for his employer

 

[The acurate one]

I will back in our club to come up with the right anwer(s), we have some wonderful people now running the show. I hope TT can sort out his life and that transcends footy of course.
He hasn't much to fall back on should his career end and we're in a pickle as we owe him 1mil


^^^

That is pretty much what I said back two or so months ago. We've come full circle it would seem. Tarryn needs to go away and come back in July fit and focused.

 

[Mordecai]

Spoiler

North Melbourne could face a payout of up to $1 million if it cuts ties with troubled midfielder Tarryn Thomas as frustration mounts over his alleged behaviour towards women.

Thomas’ AFL career is at the crossroads as the league investigates fresh allegations he has sent threatening and intimidating text messages to a woman.

The club had already made a decision to stand Thomas down due to his lack of progress in a respect and responsibility counselling program, following separate claims from multiple women alleging Thomas had threatened them.

In particular, Kangaroos’ chief executive Jennifer Watt said Thomas’ failure to meet expectations in this area had triggered “a new plan to address his issues of accountability, remorse and behaviour change”.

It is the second time this year North has had to stand Thomas down due to his off-field behaviour despite the club’s strong efforts to help educate the man who turns 23 on Saturday.

It means the Roos will have to seriously consider parting ways with Thomas which could cost the club up to $1 million of his contract over the next two years.

Tarryn Thomas has been stood down by North Melbourne. Picture: Getty Images

It is understood Thomas is on about $500,000 for each of the 2023-24 seasons following a new deal in February last year when he was considered one of the club’s best young players.

Despite his behavioural concerns, the club would have to reach a financial agreement with Thomas if it terminated his contract, potentially allowing him to make a fresh start at a new club next year.

The AFL Players’ Association is satisfied with the way the Kangaroos have handled the matter regarding Thomas which included welcoming him back to the club and into the VFL team for practice matches earlier this month.

While the move raised eyebrows across the football industry, the Kangaroos received strong advice that his best chance of making meaningful changes in his life was part of a structured club environment.

But football manager Todd Viney said the club was concerned by the fresh allegations and was adamant Thomas had not made the progress expected of him in recent months.

“We’ve seen some improvement in some of the understanding and accountability around that program we put in place,” Viney said.

“Unfortunately, he is still not quite at the level (required) and that’s been our own observations but also the observations from the key providers of some of those services we’ve put in place.

“So Tarryn’s still got some work to be done in that area before he’s available to play for the football club.

The Roos say Thomas is disappointed about the decision. Picture: Getty Images

“Second to that, we are aware of the new allegations that are against Tarryn.

“So this is a serious concern to us again, it’s with AFL integrity.

“With respect to and consideration to the victim of these allegations, we’re not at liberty to say too much around those details out of respect for her.”

Thomas was keen to re-ignite his career this year after a disappointing 2022 season, but will be forced to train away from the club while the Roos consider their next steps.

Viney said Thomas was not happy with the club’s decision to stand him down, again.

“I spent some time with him yesterday. He is disappointed,” Viney said.

“He thinks he has made some progress.

“So when we broke the news that we don’t think he is quite ready, he took it quite hard. We haven’t put a timeframe on it (stand down period).”

Coach Alastair Clarkson said he would leave the Thomas matter with other senior figures at the club as the Roos attempt to notch another upset win against Fremantle in Perth on Saturday night.

​

The Kangas won their first game under Clarkson over West Coast on Saturday at Marvel Stadium.

“It (Thomas matter) is in pretty good hands in terms of Todd and the club and it is in pretty good hands in terms of AFL integrity,” Clarkson said on Friday.

Isn't it a case of performance managing him? If he doesn't meet the requirements and it's documented he doesn't, isn't he out? Why would he get a payout?

 

[Le Grille]

You alright mate.

I’m fine i just know what I am