North Melbourne coach Alastair Clarkson hopes wayward Kangaroo Tarryn Thomas can emulate Collingwood star Jordan De Goey in turning his stuttering AFL career around.
Thomas, currently stood down indefinitely by North amid concerns regarding his attitude towards women, had his return pushed back after posting a video clip to social media on Monday night.
The video shows Thomas behind the wheel of his Mercedes with his feet on the dashboard as the vehicle drifts between lanes.
Clarkson said he hadn't spoken to Thomas for a couple of weeks with chief executive Jennifer Watt and football boss Todd Viney working with the 22-year-old, but expects to in coming days.
"I just look at a guy like Jordan De Goey, who 12 months ago just couldn't seem to do anything right but now has grown up, matured, he's playing great footy," he said.
"And the really important part of it for mine with Jordan ... (was) the realisation from him that he said 'the person I was 12 months ago wasn't the person I want to be' and he's made some changes to his life.
"Full credit to him, and he's been the beneficiary of that, his football club have.
"The wider football world is looking at Jordan De Goey and saying 'well done. You were a peanut at different stages in the last couple of years and you fixed yourself up - good work.'
"And we're hoping that Tarryn can do exactly the same thing."
In-form De Goey has drastically turned his career around after it appeared on the brink last year following a series of off-field incidents.
Clarkson is confident Thomas, who on Wednesday told the Seven Network he was "desperate to get back playing the game I love", could replicate that.
Clarkson said Thomas was dealing with serious challenges in his personal life that had not been made public, but stressed he needed to at least "reduce the frequency" of his poor behaviour.
"At some point in time, yeah, the club and he are going to need to make a decision because these types of behaviours can't be ongoing," he said.
"There needs to be some learning from it. And once he does indicate to us that he's actually fully committed to his footy, then he'll come back into this program."
Clarkson believed North Melbourne would be the best environment for Thomas.
"Showcase your talents on the football field, not necessarily in a nightclub or in a car or elsewhere and on social media," he said.
"That needs to be the dangling carrot for him, about how productive his life could look if he gets the stability of footy back in his life again."
Thomas was charged in January with threatening to distribute an intimate image and last month faced court. The case will return to the Broadmeadows Magistrates Court on July 18.
