Swans Decision on Tarryn Thomas Recruitment

Swan Districts Football Club has completed its due diligence review of potential recruit Tarryn Thomas.

The club deeply considered whether Thomas' re-introduction to football was best served at Swan Districts and whether the club had the resources and capacity to provide what he needed.

“The process included meeting with Tarryn and also receiving feedback from key club stakeholders including members, players, volunteers, sponsors and staff, together with the WAFC and AFL” said Club Chief Executive Jeff Dennis.

“It was important that it was a well-considered process which included alignment to our club’s purpose, vision and values and looking at all the facts of Tarryn’s history and exploring a way forward.

“We needed to be confident that Swans was the right environment to assist Tarryn while also safeguarding the significant off field progress the club’s made in recent years.

“We knew the process was going to be polarising, but our club is passionately committed to helping people where we can.

“The club’s football and community programs extend through the Pilbara and Metropolitan area and focus on improving people’s lives and helping them create a reciprocal sense of belonging with community.”

The club has decided it will not recruit Thomas and wish him every success in his future.  

“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."