Opinion Travis Varcoe

[GROTTO]

What cost Geelong was losing to Freo, pure and simple.

Yes thats correct. I actually do believe you would have beaten the Hawks in that scenario of playing them in a GF.

Had JPOD scored goals from his set shots in that game, I think you guys would have blown the Dockers away.

Credit to Freo, they have managed their team well and I can see a lot more clubs in the future resting players in the final round when there is nothing at stake in terms of ladder positions.

 

[Vdubs]

Yes thats correct. I actually do believe you would have beaten the Hawks in that scenario of playing them in a GF.

Had JPOD scored goals from his set shots in that game, I think you guys would have blown the Dockers away.

Credit to Freo, they have managed their team well and I can see a lot more clubs in the future resting players in the final round when there is nothing at stake in terms of ladder positions.

What cost us was:
Losing to Adelaide
Losing to Brisbane
Losing to Collingwood
Losing to NM
Losing Dawson Simpson
Losing Chappy
Losing Boris
Losing to Freo
Losing the much needed ability to strategically manage our weary players.
In the end, any of those losses was costly, and we did not have the necessary players and mechanisms to cover those losses over the season, and we were unable to sustain our patchy excellence over a 4Q period when it counted.
All year we have the ability to turn on a quarter of brilliance, but this year we have fallen short.
Injuries are always cruel, and ours have been no exception- Menzel, HMac, Simpson, Varcoe, THunt and Boris have all had their impact.

But every team has these issues, and in the years we were a little more successful, we were a little luckier, had a little more depth, and took our chances.

All of that being said, last night we were against the odds and played superbly to be leading this years flag favourites by 20 points at 3Q TIME. Pretty special performance, and we were very worthy top 4 Prelim finalists.

Freo and Hawthorn thoroughly deserve top 2 status this year, and id Swans do the unlikely and beat Freo, I will not be shocked- they are also an amazing team. All 4 teams are worthy top 4 but imho, a Freo Haw GF will be a beauty.

 

[troys8]

The problem I see with Varcoe is that as he is an outside player with pace that can tackle and do all those 1% really well. Those qualities are the reason he gets picked imo. But when he is playing in the back half and streaming through the middle of the gound or going for goal thats when you also need great disposal as well. Look at some of Motlops dispossals (got the same style of kick as Harry T I reckon with a just a little drop on the boot with that little kick like pass (looks fantastic when it then goes and hits the target (i could be totally wrong though). As an outside player where pace is your main component you then need a really good kick (look at tenance). Varcoe just doesnt have it.

The last two key moments in the Freo game and Hawthorn games were from Varcoe. Freo game streaming through the centre 9 points down puts his 30m kick straight to a Freo player on the edge of hte square, then last nights game kicking the most important goal to tie the scores misses from 35m. Sure there were other passages of play throughout both games that could have won the game, but the last ones of the final quarter are the ones you remember the most. But we also remember that huge effort he put in in the 11 GF that was fantastic and really the nail in teh coffin for Collingwood, we don't remember lings goal as much because the game was over by then, Varcoes was THE goal IMO that game

The problem being is that im not sure a big pre season will actually help him, sure he will be gutted and want a big year next year, esp after his injuries lately, but unless he sorts out his kicking I just feel it might be either the wrong position for him (half back) as those 1 percent and tackling qualities become seriosuly let down by his dispossal.. MAybe put him back in the forward line where he can run and tackle, but there he needs to kick goals, at half back its those running out of defense where you need very good disposal to hit up a target. I think of Joel Corey especially early days who never had a great kick but obviosuly worked on it and as an inside/ extractor type he only really needed to get the ball out. Varcoes position dictates that you also need good disposal.

I really hope he has a kick arse pre season and stars next year, but I really think Scott might have had enough and try some other kids in his position.

 

[Beth]

I'm willing to wait on TV until next year. Give him the preseason and half a dozen games to show what he's capable of, but that's it, if his confidence is still shot then enough. I love everyone who pulls on the hoops (except that ******* from Carlton who's name I won't utter) but we can't live on hope and past glories and be overly sentimental.

 

[muttonchops]

It just depends on what you can get for him. Is it a second round pick or a player. I would tend to lead towards a player. If there is a need that we can address by trading Travis then I would be all for it. But in saying that when has Geelong traded away a player unless they really had to, ie cant offer the dollars or game time or part of another trade. Its just not usually the way we handle a list so I would be very surprised if he was traded. It could be a nice rocket up his arse to pull his finger out next year.

 

[troys8]

I'm willing to wait on TV until next year. Give him the preseason and half a dozen games to show what he's capable of, but that's it, if his confidence is still shot then enough. I love everyone who pulls on the hoops (except that ******* from Carlton who's name I won't utter) but we can't live on hope and past glories and be overly sentimental.

Yep beth your right it probably all comes down to his confidence. He can kick alright most the time but those critical moments especially this season have hurt him. Maybe a fresh start next year is what is needed.

 

[Cheshire Cat]

definition of liability - how long can we let the guy let us down

I've got no love for him anymore. I want him traded.

 

[Partridge]

definition of liability - how long can we let the guy let us down

I've got no love for him anymore. I want him traded.

Same here. 7 years of never getting dropped and being above criticism is enough.

 

[msamosco]

He was very good in Round 1 this year but after he came back from his injury we was out of form, couldn't kick a goal even 30, 20 or 35 meters out. Him and Taylor Hunt have low confidence

 

[DT_35]

I think Mitch Duncan lost that game for you guys tonight. Twice in the last 3 1/2 minutes of the game he went for a long bomb down the middle of the ground from defence rather then slow it down and try find a perfect kick. You were in front both times and the kicks practically went to a pack with more Hawk players around and Hawthorn were able to get the ball and thrust it forward. .

Nail. On. Head.

 

[cats_09]

He was very good in Round 1 this year but after he came back from his injury we was out of form, couldn't kick a goal even 30, 20 or 35 meters out. Him and Taylor Hunt have low confidence

Varcoe was struggling to kick goals in the warm up - similar distance if not closer than his miss at the end of the night, no pressure on him and he was either kicking a clear behind or hitting the post before he would finally kick a goal.

To me that was bit of a worry & a sign of a player down on confidence - if you can't kick a goal during the warm up when there is zero pressure on you and you are all but straight in front, what is going to happen come game time?

 

[MatLewis5]

All 4 teams are worthy top 4 but imho, a Freo Haw GF will be a beauty.

I have close to zero interest in watching a 'team i dont like' V a 'team coached by Ross Lyon' GF.. On the drink early and passed out by HT.. 2010 revisited..

 

[ATSAM]

Varco should not have to rely on confidence , he is a senior player as such should be expected to have good decision making, knowledge of the game at that moment and the capacity to make his kicks , tackles, bumps count. He does not execute any of these skills and as such any pace that he does have is worthless. Trade him .

 

[dazbroncos]

What cost us was:
Losing to Adelaide
Losing to Brisbane
Losing to Collingwood
Losing to NM
Losing Dawson Simpson
Losing Chappy
Losing Boris
Losing to Freo
Losing the much needed ability to strategically manage our weary players.
In the end, any of those losses was costly, and we did not have the necessary players and mechanisms to cover those losses over the season, and we were unable to sustain our patchy excellence over a 4Q period when it counted.
All year we have the ability to turn on a quarter of brilliance, but this year we have fallen short.
Injuries are always cruel, and ours have been no exception- Menzel, HMac, Simpson, Varcoe, THunt and Boris have all had their impact.

But every team has these issues, and in the years we were a little more successful, we were a little luckier, had a little more depth, and took our chances.

All of that being said, last night we were against the odds and played superbly to be leading this years flag favourites by 20 points at 3Q TIME. Pretty special performance, and we were very worthy top 4 Prelim finalists.

Freo and Hawthorn thoroughly deserve top 2 status this year, and id Swans do the unlikely and beat Freo, I will not be shocked- they are also an amazing team. All 4 teams are worthy top 4 but imho, a Freo Haw GF will be a beauty.

Especially given that we are a team in transition losing gradually 11 Triple Premiership players and replacing them with under 50 gamers. There are teams with a core of 12-15 150 game players that can't do what we are. A very special, once in a generation unit is the Geelong Football Club.

Go Catters

 

[catters05]

Leave TV alone...........ALL OF YOU!

 

[kanyewest]

Understand this has been going on for 11 weeks and this caps it off....any wonder we're the losers when the game could've and should've been won.
Missed the shot!!!......He missed the damn game, and you talk about attention spans???

Fools will not bow to reason....roll out the excuses for your $400,000+ man.
He won't get a game at Hawthorn or Fremantle, Clarkson or Lyon wouldn't tolerate his pea heart.

Please don't lecture anyone about reason. Your argument is in fact an obsession with one player. You somehow seem to forget the fact that there were other Geelong players out there last night who all made mistakes and equally cost us the game - not to mention the Hawthorn players who also won the game.

And it has been going on for longer than 11 weeks. You have been running with the same criticisms of Varcoe for years on this board. He is your whipping boy and it is as simple as that.

 

[Jon Douglas]

Whether we like it or not some players are more affected by their confidence level than others.

I can imagine Caddy or Murdoch after a few bad games reacting by just getting angry and working harder. Trying to do more. It is in their nature.

Varcoe is different - and when confidence is down rather than head down, getting angry and throwing himself into contests - it he responds differently. We have seen fewer possessions, less run, short hand passes and kicks, some poor decisions, etc from Trav late in the season.

I think it may have been a mistake, given his nature, to promote him from the VFL until he had really earned a senior spot. Let him have half a dozen games in the VFL and get a heap of possessions, have a real impact and get some form up before he was promoted to the seniors. Then when he came in he would have had some decent belief and confidence that may have allowed him to do more on the field in a senior game.

Reckon his confidence would be shot by now and we just need to hope he can regain this confidence over the pre-season.

I also hope he has no off field issues to be concerned about as such things can really affect a person's confidence as well.

 

[year of the cat]

I think calls for Varcoe's trade are a bit premature. Unless we were offered something that was too good to refuse, I'd keep Varcoe with the hope that a decent pre-season will see the player that we saw in round one this year. I think it was a mistake keeping him in the side at the expense of more in-form players but I wouldn't just throw the baby out with the bath water.

 

[nohairandfair]

Let's not gild the lily, Varcoe has been very very ordinary since his return from injury.

No doubt the MC hoped he would find some form but it just didn't eventuate.

At 25 years of age he should be in his prime but clearly suffers from confidence problems that he might struggle to overcome.

He tends to panic when under pressure and shirks responsibility by taking small steps when it's his turn to go.

Other than a few key plays in the 2011 grand final, Varcoe has generally underperformed given his natural talent.

The game has become more contested and Varcoe just struggles to win contested ball.

His outside game is also of a concern. He has a tendency to offload to stationary teammates creating unnecessary pressure and his foot/hand disposal is not of a high quality.

Personally, I don't see him lasting at the Cats for another 5 years as the younger generation come through... just too many issues.

 

[tzman]

I think we should lay off a bit, he's always trying, you can't fault that, have a go at the selectors maybe.

I was as pissed as anyone that he missed that relativity easy goal to level it but seeing him in tears after the game being consoled by his team mates just makes you remember how hard this game is.

I agree I think the MC stuffed up by not giving him more games in the 2nd before playing him in the 1s
He needed to regain his confidence and touch and he struggled to find it in the 1s

 

[Smedts_2]

I have been a big critic of TV over the years but he really impressed me this year before he went off injured. He tries his guts out for Geelong and to point the finger at him after last night is probably to miss that he was about the only guy in the team still running hard in the last 10 minutes (and that Jimmy B, Mitch D and Josh H also had some very costly blunders).

I wish him an awesome break and a new, confident attitude next year. Play him in the VFL to find that confidence if needs be but I think he's still got a role to play at the Cats.

 

[bulletproof]

I can't see another club taking him, 450 is a lot of money. I think we are stuck with him. Lets hope he can get fit, he has missed too much football.

You can hardly blame Varcoe, he should have been given a month in the seconds to find form. He was treated like a superstar, one game in VFL and straight back. He is not and, despite what his many cheer leaders will tell you, never been a genuine top liner.

He was a very important part of our 2011 team but role player rather than best 6-7.

 

[darren forssman]

Mate!....if he's there again next year I think I'll follow Melbourne Storm

chris on sen earlier said he has faith in trav and that he will have a full preseason and be better for it.

here is your new home (dont let the door hit ya on the way out):
http://www.bigfooty.com/forum/threads/melbourne-storm-2013-thread.985676/

 

[TheWoodenSlug]

I can't see another club taking him, 450 is a lot of money. I think we are stuck with him. Lets hope he can get fit, he has missed too much football.

You can hardly blame Varcoe, he should have been given a month in the seconds to find form. He was treated like a superstar, one game in VFL and straight back. He is not and, despite what his many cheer leaders will tell you, never been a genuine top liner.

He was a very important part of our 2011 team but role player rather than best 6-7.

Agreed. I think his 2011 form has been overrated quite a bit on this board. He was good, not great - and in the years before and after, he has generally floated between being disappointing and down right terrible (obviously injuries have played a part in this).

Agree with others that he won't and shouldn't be traded (mainly because we wouldn't get a whole lot for him IMO) and should be given a chance to have a good, hopefully uninterrupted preseason, and show us what he has got early next year.

He absolutely can not have a free ticket into our best 22 though, like he has. Let him earn his spot for once.

It pains me to say, because I have always had a belief in his ability, but right now if I were to take a guess, I would say we will never see him reach his potential.

Prove me wrong Trav, please!

 

[Vdubs]

Agreed. I think his 2011 form has been overrated quite a bit on this board. He was good, not great - and in the years before and after, he has generally floated between being disappointing and down right terrible (obviously injuries have played a part in this).

Agree with others that he won't and shouldn't be traded (mainly because we wouldn't get a whole lot for him IMO) and should be given a chance to have a good, hopefully uninterrupted preseason, and show us what he has got early next year.

He absolutely can not have a free ticket into our best 22 though, like he has. Let him earn his spot for once.

It pains me to say, because I have always had a belief in his ability, but right now if I were to take a guess, I would say we will never see him reach his potential.

Prove me wrong Trav, please!

I can see your reasoning, but let's look at Stokes.
He has been fantastic this year, 12 months ago, he was being lambasted.
All it takes for Varcoe , at his age, is to have a full preseason, and a run of luck with injuries.
He has not had a week off since his return, and clearly needed one- he looked flat and slowish at times, and was not like that last week.
AND HIS CONFIDENCE is seriously shot.