Malthouse says Yarran’s his own enemy

Chris Yarran’s former coach Mick Malthouse says the injured Tigers recruit is his own worst enemy.

Yarran will be sidelined for at least six weeks at his new club Richmond after undergoing foot surgery this week, ruling him out of Thursday’s AFL season opener against his former team Carlton.

That followed time out through the pre-season when he arrived at the club out of condition and suffered calf problems.

Malthouse, who coached Yarran at Carlton, said the 25-year-old quickly lost fitness when he suffered an injury which meant he was unable to reach his full potential.

“Chris has got problems; he’s been up and down right through the career that I had with him at Carlton,” Malthouse told SEN.

Malthouse oversaw the playmaker for two and a half years.

He said Yarran was prone to injury because of the explosive nature of his playing style. He also struggled with endurance.

“Chris sometimes can be his worst enemy,” he said.

“When he gets injured and he’s a bit like a thoroughbred in that he had little niggles right through my time at Carlton it pulls him back and he loses so much conditioning so quickly.

“He just probably hasn’t quite got that knack of being a great professional in regard to coming back and being ready to play.”

Malthouse said Richmond’s coaches and conditioning staff would have to “ride” Yarran to get the best out of him.

Yarran insisted he was not fazed by the intense scrutiny he had been under since joining Richmond.

“I don’t pay too much attention to it to be honest – everyone’s got different opinions about it,” he told reporters on Tuesday.

“At the end of the day, the only people that matter are my close friends and teammates.

“I’m always happy with my shape.”

Meanwhile, Malthouse defended Dale Thomas, whom he coached at Collingwood and Carlton.

Thomas dislocated his shoulder in the first minute of the 2015 first-round clash with Richmond and will miss Thursday’s MCG game through suspension.

“Daisy Thomas has just been a victim of bad luck as far as I’m concerned,” he said.

“Anyone who changes from one club to another and is in the news because of it, the scrutiny goes on them and nearly every game they’ve got to be the best player.”

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