Star West Coast forward Jack Darling has been forced to train away from the club and his teammates after failing to meet the AFL‘s COVID-19 protocols.
The AFL’s policy states that all players and staff at both Western Australian clubs, West Coast and Fremantle, must have received two doses of COVID-19 vaccination by January 21 to be allowed to continue attending the headquarters.
The Eagles revealed in a statement this morning that Darling had not fulfilled his obligations and would train away from the club and his teammates as he “assesses his future”.
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“The club will continue to support Jack as he contemplates his options and is optimistic that he will return to build on his outstanding career to date,” the club statement reads.
“While the club does respect the right to personal choice it also supports the protocols put in place by the AFL and governments – both federal and state – as they navigate their way through this persistent and challenging pandemic.”
When Carlton defender Liam Jones announced his AFL retirement in November, it left many believing he had quit due to his anti-vaccination stance and the league’s ‘no jab, no play’ policy.
Darling has booted 450 goals from 236 AFL games since making his debut in the opening round of the 2011 season.
The gun key forward was a member of West Coast’s 2018 AFL grand final triumph over Collingwood, is an All-Australian and has topped the Eagles’ goal-kicking leaderboard on four occasions.
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