We've officially cleared Yarran to Swan Districts.
‘Wildcard’ Yarran set for WAFL returnJohn Townsend
West Australian
13 April 2017Chris Yarran has been officially cleared by Richmond and will play for Swan Districts on Saturday, subject to final approval by the AFL.
The silky utility player, who last November was released from his three-year deal at Richmond to help in his battle with mental illness, will tonight be named in the reserves as he starts his comeback to senior football.
The AFL integrity department must sign off on his return to action, but both Swans and the WAFL expect that to be a formality.
“We hope he gets ticked off in the next day or two,” Swans coach Greg Harding said.
The AFL must officially approve Yarran’s removal from Richmond’s 2017 list, but he has been registered as a WAFL player and his transfer from the Tigers has been completed.
Yarran, 26, has been training at Swans for the past two months and is in line to play his first match for the black and whites since the 2008 grand final. Harding told the club’s website that Yarran could prove a significant figure as Swans attempt to maintain their winning start to the season.
“His last six weeks of training have been excellent,” Harding said.
“If Yaz can stay fit, he looms as a real wild-card for us in the back end of the season.”
Swans have a powerful record under Harding in helping player rehabilitation after significant setbacks.
Travis Casserly and Kane Goodwin both made successful returns at the club this decade after serving two-year WAFL drug bans, while Fremantle star Michael Walters re-ignited his AFL career after being sent back to Swans for the first half of the 2012 season to work on his fitness and commitment.
Yarran was taken by Carlton at No.6 in the 2008 national draft after a maiden WAFL season that included a seven-goal debut.
He played 119 matches in seven seasons at the Blues, but did not play a game at Richmond after being traded in 2015.
Yarran battled a series of soft-tissue and mental health issues in his first year at the Tigers and quit the club on medical advice to return to Perth at the end of the season.
Yarran grew up in Bushby Street, Midvale, one of the most productive AFL assembly lines in the country that also yielded his cousin Shane Yarran, who had a brief stint at Fremantle, West Coast’s Nic Naitanui and Walters. He joins Jamie Bennell, Ryan Crowley, David Ellard, Xavier Ellis and Corey Gault as former AFL players to bolster Swans this year.
https://thewest.com.au/sport/chris-yarran-cleared-by-richmond-to-play-for-swan-districts-on-saturday-ng-b88444947z
