AFL reject Eagles' vaccine exemption request

The AFL are understood to have rejected Eagle Jack Darling's request to be granted a vaccine exemption on medical grounds in hope of returning to the league for the 2022 season.

Darling is currently banished from AFL duties - both playing and training - as he remains without his first vaccine against COVID-19.

West Coast confirmed last month that their premiership forward was still undergoing discussions with the club in regards to his vaccine hesitancy after missing the initial deadline on January 21.

The second mandate deadline, which requires players from Western Australia, Queensland and South Australia to have received two doses of an approved vaccine, is set for this Friday.

With Darling remaining unvaccinated, he has since put forward a request to be exempt from requiring a jab on personal medical grounds, a plea the league have reportedly denied, according to The Age.

The AFL's decision now places Darling with a critical call just over a month out from West Coast's Round 1 clash against the Suns.

Should he opt to go without a vaccine, Darling will lose 75 per cent of his base wage in being moved to his club's inactive list, a reality Lion Cam Ellis-Yolmen has already faced after having his exemption request denied.

Having previously inked a five-year deal with the Eagles, Darling is understood to have $3 million to earn in the remaining four years of his contract.

The Eagles will have a deadline on their hands as their season opener approaches, with a number of WAFL players currently training at Lathlain Park as potential Darling replacements.