Chris Yarran facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Chris Yarran |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
| Personal information | |||
| Full name | Christopher Yarran | ||
| Date of birth | 19 December 1990 | ||
| Place of birth | Western Australia | ||
| Original team | Swan Districts (WAFL) | ||
| Draft | No. 6, 2008 national draft | ||
| Position(s) | Half-back | ||
| Career highlights | |||
|
|||
Christopher Yarran (born December 19, 1990) is a former professional Australian rules football player. He played for the Carlton Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). He was also part of the Richmond Football Club but did not play any senior games for them.
Contents
Chris Yarran's Early Life and Junior Career
Chris Yarran is an Indigenous Australian footballer. He grew up playing junior football in Western Australia. When he was younger, he mostly played as a small forward. Sometimes, he also played in the midfield or defence.
At just 17 years old, Chris joined the senior team for Swan Districts Football Club. He played 13 games and kicked 39 goals. He even kicked seven goals in his first game! He also scored eight goals in three finals matches.
Chris played for Western Australia in the under 18s championships. He kicked eight goals in four games during this time. He was chosen to join the Australian Institute of Sport-AFL academy in 2006/07. He even captained a team from the Clontarf Football Academy in a game against a visiting South African under 19s team in 2007.
Chris Yarran is the cousin of former Fremantle player Shane Yarran.
Chris Yarran's AFL Career
Getting Drafted into the AFL
Chris Yarran was a very talented young player. Many expected him to be chosen early in the draft. The Carlton Football Club picked him as their first choice, sixth overall, in the 2008 national draft.
Carlton's coach, Brett Ratten, thought Chris could help other small forwards like Eddie Betts. He believed Chris would also take some pressure off their main forward, Brendan Fevola.
Playing for Carlton (2009–2015)
Chris played his first senior game for Carlton in 2009 against Fremantle. He played six games for Carlton that year. Most of his games were with Carlton's reserve team, the Northern Bullants, in the Victorian Football League (VFL). He even kicked five goals in a VFL preliminary final.
In 2010, Chris played 16 games for Carlton. He was nominated for the AFL Rising Star award. That season, Chris, Eddie Betts, and Jeff Garlett were a group of small forwards. They were sometimes called "Setanta's Little Helpers," after their tall teammate Setanta Ó hAilpín.
In 2011, Carlton's coach changed the team's strategy. Chris was moved to play on the half-back line. He quickly became a strong defender. He used his speed and accurate kicking to help Carlton move the ball forward. Chris played 23 games that season and finished tenth in Carlton's best and fairest award, the John Nicholls Medal.
In 2012, Chris had a foot injury that affected his season. However, he won the Goal of the Year award. This was for an amazing goal he kicked in the first round. He picked up the ball, dodged three Richmond players, and kicked a goal from 50 meters out!
Time with Richmond
In October 2015, Chris Yarran was traded to Richmond. Carlton received a first-round draft pick in return. Chris did not play any games for Richmond in 2016. He was dealing with personal challenges during this time.
He returned to training before the 2017 season. However, the next day, he and the club decided it was best for him to leave. This was because he was unable to meet the demands of professional football due to ongoing personal issues.
Other Work
Chris Yarran was part of a documentary film called Three Boys Dreaming. This film won awards in 2010. It followed Chris and two other young Indigenous Australian footballers. It showed their lives over four years, from ages 14 to 18.
