Toast Nathan Vardy

[Mahlepi]

Really happy for Vards but lets be honest, he only got his medal because Nic Nat didn't.
Using this as a means to pot Geelongs handling of him is a bit of a stretch.

not really, as vardy and varcoe are the type of players we need urgently

 

[dazbroncos]

not really, as vardy and varcoe are the type of players we need urgently

LOL..


Watching the pivots is hilarious in this thread.

GO CAtters

 

[iameviljez]

not really, as vardy and varcoe are the type of players we need urgently

As in, "they are a ruckman and a small forward", yes, I agree.

But on output? I'd have Trav back, though he hasn't exactly shot the lights out at Collingwood. Vardy hasn't been any better than Stanley and the like.

 

[The rabbi]

I was happy for Vardy. He did have a terrible time with hip and a knee injury. I thought that he could have been anything early in his career at Geelong.

 

[Cool Cat]

If you read what he had to say about his (non)relationship with the coaching staff here, its understandable. His papers were stamped that last season and he played like he knew it.

Same thing happening with thurlow this year, and numerous others over the last five or six years...

 

[Hamingja]

He played his role on GF day in a premiership team so well done to Vardy.

People are talking like we just let Dean Cox go. While Grundy was curbed around the ground a bit, Grundy did still have 50 hit outs yesterday. The WC midfield was the difference.

People cry when we hold onto injury prone players and then cry when we let them go and they go somewhere else and play a role.

Expecting all the people that have called for McCarthy to be delisted to be first in the thread sooking if he plays a good game or two at Brisbane next year

 

[The rabbi]

Expecting all the people that have called for McCarthy to be delisted to be first in the thread sooking if he plays a good game or two at Brisbane next year

It is a dead certain bet.

 

[frggr]

Vardy does annoy me though - he does seem as though he should have been a far better player with the gifts that he has. That said, the injuries must have taken a huge toll on his leap and mobility.

There were two games where I really thought he looked like our CHF/Ruck for the next eight years - one where he kicked four against Gold Coast including a beauty off his toes, and also SJ/Stokes/Kelly's last game against Adelaide.

Yeah, they spoke to one of the retired Cats players about him who effectively said the same thing.

Came to the club as an elite athlete, then got injured.

 

[cats_09]

First, congrats to Vardy on playing in a winning premiership team with WCE, he managed to be injury free when a few others went down & made the most of the opportunity presented to him.

I've got to agree with a few others though and not sure we really missed him or that he would be making a major difference to our side or even necessarily been selected over the past 2 seasons had he stayed.

Last year Vardy played as WCE's #1 ruck (1 match between NN & Lycett, 16 games from Petrie) and these were his averages: 8.4 disposals, 2.4 marks, 0.5 goals, 2.9 tackles & 23.6 hitouts.

Compare that with Smith's 2017 when he played our a #1 and then this year with Stanley:
Smith: 14.7 disposals, 1.5 marks, 0.3 goals, 3.1 tackles & 32.1 hitouts
Stanley: 13.5 disposals, 2.9 marks, 0.4 goals, 2.8 tackles & 28.1 hitouts
and 4 games from Abbott: 10.8 disposals, 2.8 marks, 0.8 goals, 5.8 tackles & 27.2 hitouts

As a #1 ruck, Vardy is behind the best shown by the 3 rucks currently on our list.

And if we look at Vardy's 2018 season where he came in to play as the #2 and compare with what we got from Stanley last year when he was played as the #2 behind Smith -
Vardy 2018: 8.1 disposals, 2.6 marks, 0.7 goals, 2.9 tackles & 14.7 hitouts from 72.5% TOG
Stanley 2017: 12 disposals, 4.2 marks, 0.6 goals, 2.5 tackles & 16.1 hitouts from 76.7% TOG

We got more from Stanley last year in the #2 role, but there was discussion if we got the best from both Stanley & Smith playing alongside each other as both as best suited to the #1 role & struggled to have a continued impact in the #2 role.

Vardy has come in & played his role for WCE and congratulations for the what he has achieved - but if he was putting up those same numbers playing for us then would he be given the same tick for efforts or is it more likely that we would be wanting more from him?

 

[PhatBoy]

So why was Scott not able to get the most out of him? And Varcoe too for that matter? Hmmm....

Yeah it's a great point. He got nothing out of Varcoe. Especially in big games.

 

[PhatBoy]

How can you "get the most" out of anybody who plays 25 games over 7 seasons??

Scott was acting club doctor throughout the period in question. How he fitted it in among his commitments as head physio and HP manager would make for interesting reading.

 

[PhatBoy]

not really, as vardy and varcoe are the type of players we need urgently

Yeah you can never get enough third string ruckmen. It's worked a treat for us in the past.

 

[MacStradbroke]

Yeah it's a great point. He got nothing out of Varcoe. Especially in big games.

Varcoe went alright in 2011 GF from where I sat in the crowd. That was a fairly big game.

 

[MacStradbroke]

First, congrats to Vardy on playing in a winning premiership team with WCE, he managed to be injury free when a few others went down & made the most of the opportunity presented to him.

I've got to agree with a few others though and not sure we really missed him or that he would be making a major difference to our side or even necessarily been selected over the past 2 seasons had he stayed.

Last year Vardy played as WCE's #1 ruck (1 match between NN & Lycett, 16 games from Petrie) and these were his averages: 8.4 disposals, 2.4 marks, 0.5 goals, 2.9 tackles & 23.6 hitouts.

Compare that with Smith's 2017 when he played our a #1 and then this year with Stanley:
Smith: 14.7 disposals, 1.5 marks, 0.3 goals, 3.1 tackles & 32.1 hitouts
Stanley: 13.5 disposals, 2.9 marks, 0.4 goals, 2.8 tackles & 28.1 hitouts
and 4 games from Abbott: 10.8 disposals, 2.8 marks, 0.8 goals, 5.8 tackles & 27.2 hitouts

As a #1 ruck, Vardy is behind the best shown by the 3 rucks currently on our list.

And if we look at Vardy's 2018 season where he came in to play as the #2 and compare with what we got from Stanley last year when he was played as the #2 behind Smith -
Vardy 2018: 8.1 disposals, 2.6 marks, 0.7 goals, 2.9 tackles & 14.7 hitouts from 72.5% TOG
Stanley 2017: 12 disposals, 4.2 marks, 0.6 goals, 2.5 tackles & 16.1 hitouts from 76.7% TOG

We got more from Stanley last year in the #2 role, but there was discussion if we got the best from both Stanley & Smith playing alongside each other as both as best suited to the #1 role & struggled to have a continued impact in the #2 role.

Vardy has come in & played his role for WCE and congratulations for the what he has achieved - but if he was putting up those same numbers playing for us then would he be given the same tick for efforts or is it more likely that we would be wanting more from him?

I've still never seen Vardy in the best 6 or 7 players in a single game...ever. Very happy to see him snag a medal though, good luck to him.

 

[Frappe]

I've still never seen Vardy in the best 6 or 7 players in a single game...ever. Very happy to see him snag a medal though, good luck to him.

I had him in their best yesterday. Not an absolute outstanding game by any stretch but took some strong grabs and kicked an important goal i confidently predicted he’d miss.

 

[Tandy]

Really happy for Vardy. He used to do some really good work in the community when in Geelong. a good guy, well deserved.

 

[dazbroncos]

Yeah you can never get enough third string ruckmen. It's worked a treat for us in the past.

where is that "Bring back Orren Stevenson thread"

GO Catters

 

[Stan The Caddy]

Yeah it's a great point. He got nothing out of Varcoe. Especially in big games.

I agree.

 

[Down at K Park]

not really, as vardy and varcoe are the type of players we need urgently

We already have enough hack rucks to play the break in case of injury role.

 

[Partridge]

3 players you were so desperate to keep at Geelong yourself, big P?

In order, no, yes, and no. But that wasn’t my argument.

 

[Vdubs]

Yeah, they spoke to one of the retired Cats players about him who effectively said the same thing.

Came to the club as an elite athlete, then got injured.

I knew his Gippsland TAC physio very well. Said he could play but was somewhat oligoneuronal. We saw that early on. Maybe he developed a few synapses in WA.

 

[frggr]

I knew his Gippsland TAC physio very well. Said he could play but was somewhat oligoneuronal. We saw that early on. Maybe he developed a few synapses in WA.

Hahahaha

Male brains take a little longer to develop!

 

[David the Cat]

Hahahaha

Male brains take a little longer to develop!

Oh good...there's hope for me yet.

 

[David the Cat]

I knew his Gippsland TAC physio very well. Said he could play but was somewhat oligoneuronal. We saw that early on. Maybe he developed a few synapses in WA.

Not often am I caught out but this word certainly did. So I looked it up...

Are you suggesting Vardy had the intelligence of a small genus of herbaceous flowering plant?

 

[steady2]

So why was Scott not able to get the most out of him? And Varcoe too for that matter? Hmmm....

Vardy had a mass of injuries during his time at Geelong and when finally fit wasn't good enough despite his chances. He's had more chances at the Eagles because of injuries to NicNat, that is why they bought him. Varcoe was probably a better player under Scott than Bomber. He has not played any better at Collingwood than he did with us, it was great that he kicked the first goal of the game, like he did in 2011, a lot forget that he actually kicked the first two of the 2011 Grand Final and a critical and brilliant goal in the last quarter to ice the game for us. However he did miss that shot to draw the 2013 Prelim and it broke the Kennett curse for them.