Falcons coax young star out of wilderness
Sandover medallist Andrew Krakouer has convinced a player once touted as one of WA's best young prospects to have another crack at a senior career.
Forward Chris Yarran has signed with West Perth and started training with the WAFL club on Tuesday.
The 20-year-old was named best player at the national 2010 under-16 titles after booting 12 goals from just four matches to go with 22.15 from six full colts games year at Perth that year.
However, a seemingly inexplicable decision to drop the footballer from an expanded AIS/AFL Academy the following year halted his development.
Yarran walked away from the State league after playing his final WAFL reserves game for Perth in round eight, 2012.
He has spent the past two years with amateur club Maddington but has been convinced to give senior football another go in the wake of a starring role for the West Coast Eagles State Amateur under-23 side last Friday night.
West Perth chief executive David Crute said receiving a phone call from former Collingwood and Richmond forward Krakouer had been the tipping point for Yarran.
"It convinced him to come and have a chat with us and play," Crute said. "He's a very good footballer and he is motivated. He's a good kid, just one that needed a second chance and no one had been looking at him."
The Falcons signing is a cousin of Carlton defender Chris Yarran and is also related to Krakouer.
Yarran will train at West Perth two nights a week while continuing to play for Maddington this year. The plan is for the forward to return to the WAFL next year after a full pre-season at the Falcons under his belt.
"We've put in place a fitness program for him and he'll start pre-season with us in November with the view to getting him back fit enough and playing WAFL footy," Crute said.
"In the State 16s he was an absolute gun and then fell off the radar for a number of reasons … it's a bit of a speculative arrangement to put someone on your 40 list when they haven't been playing WAFL footy for a while, but we think it's worth it."
Yarran's recruitment is in line with the club's efforts to promote its new indigenous football academy - the Djinda Falcons - being run by Krakouer.
