..agreed, over a full game, game after game a young kid with bugger all pre-season behind him will struggle.. ..completely agree.. ..but he hasn't played many games this year at all, and ressies reports [not afl fitness standard] don't show him playing an intense, accountable style.. ..and reports of his previous year's wafl form seem to also mention his 'lazy, unaccountable' style.. ..that may be due to the sub-afl standard of what's required in non-afl leagues, and possibly due to his youth and playing role [attacking/creative sorts aren't generally known for their defensive aspects].. ..i was just stating that he has the body, and skills to have at least been showing a little more [have stated i don't expect great games, but some serviceable footy would be nice] in his afl time and more in his ressie games..

..and in regards to the whole notion of 'upside', i don't really buy into it.. ..and the reason i don't think a player like Yaz has much is because i think he's already got great skills off both sides of his body, creative footy smarts, pace, good hands and a good frame already.. ..aside from improved fitness base [which would be the same for most kids], where is the upside gonna come from..?.. ..for me, upside would apply more to a 'project' type player that's still learning the game, mastering skills and footy tactics etc etc.. ..all of which Yaz has by the truck-load..

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..if you can't be good, be good at it..

Good point you raise there about personality traits. Something people must also factor in with Chris Yarran is that he never came with the full support package. When I say full support package I mean family. Take Murphy and Gibbs for example ... fathers played footy and were there for guidance ... remember Kreuzer when he got drafted ... one parent on each side of him ... good wholesome family ... where was Yarrans family at an important time in his life ... got the point. Chris Yarran would probabaly lie in bed for hours before he goes to sleep wondering "what am I doing here" ... he may even question if he can withstand the rigours of AFL football ... he may question whether he fits in with the playing group ... and you know what makes it tough to answer those questions ... having to answer them on your own.

Chris will be under intense pressure to return for family funerals. If this is only the second time so far this year then that suggests to me that he is probably more committed than it appears to anyone who does not know about cultural obligations. Especially as it is his first year in Melbourne.

I would guess that there have probably been several other occasions this year where he would have felt conflict with his obligations and perhaps even felt really bad about not being able to go back and share grief with his people when it would be natural for him to want to do so. And of course there may be a troublemaker or two back home who might be suggesting nasty things about his attitude to them from a cultural perspective when he doesn't go back. The funerals won't always be direct relatives, but sometimes very important community people.

If anything it might be a good thing if the club were straight up about it and let everyone know that they expect that their Aboriginal players will have to fulfill their cultural and family obligations from time to time and have no problem with it. Pity that wasn't emphasised in the club's media quotes as it will come up again for sure.

A good pre season will do wonders for this bloke.

The orignal question was has he walked out of the club. The answer, apparently, is no. Everything else is just recycling the same old "did we/didn't we stuff it up" nonsense that has been endlessly debated already.

Since noone will have any further idea about that until we see what the kid looks like after a pre-season, surely there is nothing more to add, and its time to lock this thread?

Yep and the kid has been here for 30 weeks.

Kaplan

I suspect you know very little about Aboriginal customs and family traditions. As alluded to before, it is tradition when any relative passes away for pretty much anyone in the clan to go back for the funeral. It's expected and almost a loss of face if you don't turn up. Add to that the abnormally high mortality rate and low life expectancy of the indigenous population and it all adds up.

How about showing a bit of sensitivity and tempering your remarks with some acknowledgement of the cultural values that this bloke identifies with because in your posts there are none?

What if Yarran was a Jew? And he didn't play on Saturdays? You would be going on about his lack of desire etc etc. Or is it ok because you're from that background too?

Yes, he hasn't had the greatest season, yes he does probably, from the outside looking in, seem to need to apply himself better.

But to bring it up at a time like this is to be quite frank, a dog of an act. Chris Yarran's real name is Cameron Cloke and the way you're acting, you're Setanta O'hAilpin.

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"A good composer does not initiate. He steals."

- Igor Stravinsky

i work with a lot of Koori / Aboriginal kids, and i can tell you that the majority of them have extended families and disjointed families with dynamics that are very hard to comprehend. so when it comes to family, it is very important to them to identify with the whole family, not just the nuclear family most of us have. thus, when there is a death, or illness or another unfortunate situation that the person is not around for, it can impact on their mental health quite heavily, and their thoughts are often not in the present and they can be distracted. if Yaz's family have been having problems with health or whathaveyou, then that could explain his seemingly uninterested attitude at times, as his mind would have been eslewhere. hopefully he has a good support network at the club and outside of the club in melb to help him through it.

also, someone mentioned he has been back to perth another time for family issues. this is also not surprising, as when there is a concern in this culture, no matter how minor, the whole extended family will try and attend to support. i think Yaz will be heading back to Perth many times in his career (which will hopefully be a long one), or that he will eventually relocate back there (which would suck for us, but would be understood), in order to represent his family and support them as much as possible

while many of us may not realise it (and i dont mean any disrespect at all here), family in aboriginal culture is a different concept to what most of us interpret it as, and it is a lot more important that we realise - i certainly didnt until i started working with them - and the mental pressure of being away from that family can be huge

not trying to preach here, just hoping to offer an explanation - i know the entire TC community wishes the kid well

cheers

bender

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my last one was rubbish

are all the other aborignal kids in the league doing this with their clubs / families ?

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*(grow - fun - gah)

Yeah but whatabout your whataboutism.

I dont think it matters what culture you are from family issues are family issues and to say they affect one race more than another is just plain dumb

Both the Ohalpin boys went through a bad patch last year of a death of a friend or family member

The kid is 18 -4000 miles from home and he has shit going on there that concerns him

He isn't any different from the other 18 year old kids with stuff going on - He is worried and most likely confused and frustrated

A trip home may be the tonic he needs but most likely the only thing that will cure his ills is time

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If you allow the Government to change the Laws in an emergency
They will create an Emergency to change the Laws

am not trying to imply that family issues affect one people more than others, was just trying to offer an explanation, is all, sorry if i sounded condescending

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my last one was rubbish

Wasn't there an article in the papers a couple of weeks ago about Leon Davis mentioning the number of times he had returned home for funerals. Happy to be corrected here, but I think he did mention that at one stage Malthouse did pull him and say to him that he had run out of dead grandfathers. If this is a situation similar to Chris' then I am willing to cut him some slack.

Chris Yarran could become a great addition to our team given the right support just as Davis has become central to Collingwoods team.

Rich has gone and whilst the comparisons may be painful for some, the central fact is that we have Yarran and not Rich, so let's just learn to live with that fact and support the bloke who wears number for 13 for the mighty Blues.

Nice card to play Clem- I might just quote this part of your post

and say that basically sums up what Ive been saying the entire time. If Yarran doesnt apply himself (a very plausible option at this stage of his career) then we have royally flowered up.
Once again- you are treading on very dangerous water with your implications of my posts. Very dangerous.

Here you go Doormat:

The making of Leon

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When Dick became President, it was as if everyone at Carlton came out of the hailstorm and into the sunshine - Stephen Kernahan

YARRAN!!





.

..l.davis is delivering the goods now, no doubt.. ..but how many years did he take..?..

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..if you can't be good, be good at it..

His early years were very ordinary ....... his grand final appearances were ..... (well that's almost an oxymoron!!). I think his 2 appearances matched his total stats.

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"IF YOU FAIL TO PREPARE, YOU'RE PREPARED TO FAIL" - Mark Spitz

What does that have to do with Yarran?

The fact Wayne Hughes invested pick six from a good draft in Yarran has me confident that he will be a star.

Rich is an elite kick, but he is a one trick pony compared to Yarran who is an elite kick with both feet.

And a line breaker with pace, plenty of tricks and another gear.

We must find a way to work Yarran's 2009 back to Ratten and Sticks.

Agree with you Josh, Clem is being pretty nasty here - poor form on his part and quite distasteful.

So in the best interest for Yarran and the Carlton Football Club, maybe we should trade him to the West
so he is closer to his family and we can pick up a player that will have an imediate impact at the club.

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BRING BACK PERFORMANCE BASE PAYMENTS !!!

This thread is quickly descending into absurdity.

Clem isn't the only one treading a fine line, Josh. Forget racism; you're asking a few personal questions of Yarran in this thread, both directly and indirectly.

Of all the threads to do it in too. Once the plausibility was brought back to the club statement, you should have shutup and moved to another thread if you wanted to talk to about his level of application at the CFC.

Your persistence in this particular thread is callous and excessively utilitarian.

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29 different attributes,
And only 7 that you like;
20 ways to see the world,
Or 20 ways to start a fight.

Yarran looks happier than others to me!

In all seriousness though, my thoughts are with him and his family, and looking forward to seeing him back in the Old Dark Navy soon.

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The turning of the tide, falling in behind
Pretending not to find, the questions in my mind
The shining of the day, the old familiar way
Follow the road where it leads
And all the way we will sing...