While Andrew was renowned for his constructive handball skills, Darren was regarded as one of the finest kicks on either foot, whether passing to a leading forward or shooting for goal.
In 1990 the turmoil that led to the creation of the Adelaide Crows and thereby automatically relegated the SANFL to secondary importance within South Australia caused Jarman to reassess his career.
Following some friction with the Crows' football manager Neil Kerley, Jarman chose to head east, signing for Hawthorn after the club traded pick 10 in the 1990 AFL Draft to the Bears for his contractual rights.
[7] Despite this early setback, the highly skilled midfielder made an immediate impact in his debut year, averaging 18 disposals and booting 41 goals[8] before his infamous performance in the Hawks' winning side on Grand Final day, when he was restricted to just 5 touches on the big stage.
Following his excellent 1995 season where he won his second All-Australian selection, Hawthorn's Best and Fairest Award and finished with the second-most votes behind Sydney's Paul Kelly in the Brownlow Medal count (although he was ineligible to place due to suspension),[10] Jarman sought a return home to Adelaide to play with his brother Andrew at the Crows.