Jack Darling

Former Eagle Will Schofield says it will be hard for some West Coast players to come to terms with the circumstances of Jack Darling's return as the forward ...

That would be hard for me to come to terms with. It means the 29-year-old could be given the green light to return to the club’s Mineral Resources Park base as early as Friday, with match fitness now looming as the biggest barrier to a return to the AFL field in the early stages of the season. Former Eagle Will Schofield says it will be hard for some West Coast players to come to terms with the circumstances of Jack Darling’s impending return as the forward closes in on a sensational early-season comeback.

The West Australian understands that while the paperwork surrounding the vaccine-reluctant star's return is yet to be finalised, it remains the one hurdle ...

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West Coast star Jack Darling has returned to the club to continue his career after meeting the conditions of the AFL's vaccination policy.

He has a four-year deal in place which is expected to earn him close to $800,000 per year. Sign up for the Real Footy newsletter. The Eagles and the AFL have been working with him and his legal representatives since to reach a point where he would be able to play.

Eagles breathe sigh of relief as $3m forward finally vaccinated, could play Round 1.

When the Eagles first confirmed Darling had not followed the vaccine mandate the forward bizarrely claimed he had a “medical certificate” from a non-club doctor that allowed him to be on sick leave. Under the AFL vaccine mandates players and staff must be double vaccinated but it’s not certain how many doses Darling has had, when he received them or which type of vaccine he had. West Coast forward Jack Darling has received his vaccination against Covid-19 and is eligible to return to the club, reports The West Australian.

Under threat of losing his AFL career, the premiership forward has made his decision one week out from the opening round.

The Eagles had all but given up hope of Darling changing his mind as communication between the player and teammates, coaches and club officials remained scarce. West Coast were as little as a week away from moving Darling to the inactive list, which would have ruled him out for the entirety of the season and significantly cut his $750,000 wage. But 7NEWS Perth’s Ryan Daniels reports Darling has now been vaccinated and could return to the side within the first month of the season.