Swan Districts release Tarryn Thomas statement

WAFL club Swan Districts have decided against signing troubled ex-North Melbourne midfielder Tarryn Thomas.

The Swans invited Thomas to train with the club earlier this week as the 24-year-old looks to secure his playing future after being permitted to return to football.

Thomas is unable to join an AFL or AFL-affiliated club, with VFL outfit the Northern Bullants having considered signing the banned former Kangaroo before denying the chance.

Swan Districts have followed suit, confirming on Thursday that the club won't sign Thomas, who they believe is "heading in the right direction".

In a detailed statement, Swan Districts chief executive Jeff Dennis explained the club's reasoning behind ending its consideration to sign Thomas.

“This process has uncovered many deep concerns and personal experiences,” said Dennis.

“It's highlighted domestic violence has affected many people in our Swans family and shown us that we're just not ready for this.

"We must acknowledge that as a society, we are still a long way from resolving the domestic violence issues occurring. This is not just a problem within our club or even just in football – it's a pervasive issue that requires ongoing attention, education, and action at all levels of society.

“We must first address our internal challenges before we can effectively support others.

“We need to keep focusing on educating our own community about domestic violence and creating a safe and caring environment for our people.

“This is a crucial step before we can consider taking on additional responsibilities like assisting Tarryn.

“We'll work on creating a strategy to continue this conversation in our Swans family as we navigate through this journey together.

“We genuinely believe Tarryn is heading in the right direction.

“He has owned his mistakes and we believe he is working towards being an active part of community and once again playing football at the highest level he can.

“It's important at some stage soon he's accepted by community which will play an important role in his recovery.

“It's logical that this first step should be a football community.

"Tarryn has been nothing but appreciative and professional in his dealings with our club."

Thomas was banned for 18 matches and cut from the Kangaroos' list after multiple acts of misconduct and worrying behaviour towards women.

Thomas is unable to play in the AFL this year and is yet to learn if he will be able to play in 2026.