AFL great Mick Malthouse admits there were signs something had changed in Chris Yarran in his final season with Carlton.

He said drug use among players was the “most frightening thing” in football right now.

Yarran was sentenced to five years in jail this week following a drug-charged crime rampage in Western Australia.

Malthouse, his former coach, expressed sadness on 3AW Mornings.

“He was such a beautiful boy,” Malthouse said.

“Everything about him … he was soft, he was gentle, he loved playing his football and got on very well with his teammates.

“He mixed with everyone, there weren’t any cliques.

“But then he got injured and went back home for a while.

“When he came back there was a noticeable absence of thought in so many things he did.”

Malthouse admits there were “hints and rumours” about Yarran’s off-field behaviour that “certainly” had an impact on his form.

But he expressed frustration at the “contempt of reality” many players had about drug use, saying he’d heard about numerous instances of players exploiting the testing system.

“I think it’s the most frightening thing in football at the moment and probably sport in general,” Malthouse said.

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Tom Elliott spoke with Dennis Armfield, one of Yarran’s former teammates.

He said Yarran had been hard to contact in recent times.

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