Travis Varcoe

[darren forssman]

On a side issue - are there any other players in the comp at the moment who score goals from within 10 metres as regularly as Varcoe??

one s. byrnes would have him covered this season surely.

 

[Pivo]

one s. byrnes would have him covered this season surely.

Goals, not points Daz

 

[flatcat]

I don't think its that easy to make a defender out of a player. Being defensive takes a lot of disipline and concentration (which Ling has in spades). I doubt Varcoe has it at this stage of his career.

 

[darren forssman]

Goals, not points Daz

on a side note...michael curry as new pistons coach...interesting.

 

[Pivo]

on a side note...michael curry as new pistons coach...interesting.

Yeah, saw that. Read the interview with him when it was announced. He doesn't lack any confidence.

Wouldn't have minded Avery Johnson though.

But this is more a basketball thread than Travis Varcoe - do I take it you're a Pistons fan DF?.

 

[darren forssman]

But this is more a basketball thread than Travis Varcoe - do I take it you're a Pistons fan DF?.

nah, have never liked them for some reason.

sit on the fence when supporting nba teams (dont see enough games) but always have a place in the heart for the strugglers like the clippers for instance.

yeah, avery would have been good...and vinny del negro if they got in quicker!!

 

[Asty]

Kept my eye on him during the PA game and even though still didn't get a lot of it (12 touches?) I thought he looked a lot more comfortable and dangerous when up around the center of the ground. His attack on the ball was good and he linked up well. I also think he gets lost deep forward and prefers running at the goals, even his roving goals in the past, from memory, are him running with the flight. I reckon if he gets an oportunity on HF or Wing more regularly we will start to see more of what the drafters saw. It will still be hard for him to cement his spot in next one or two years but in a few years the core of our midfield could be Selwood, Prismall, Varcoe. This should give us the depth to get through the expected thinner drafts prior to the new teams joining.

 

[Skeppersap]

It was a great performance today I think. Definitely stays in above Byrnes.

 

[PoidaCat]

It was a great performance today I think. Definitely stays in above Byrnes.

+1

 

[Geelong_Sicko]

Kept my eye on him during the PA game and even though still didn't get a lot of it (12 touches?)

To me it dosen't matter if he only gets it 12 times - it's what the man does with it that's important. If he spoils or causes errors with his pressure he's doing what he's paid to do.

I thought he looked a lot more comfortable and dangerous when up around the center of the ground. His attack on the ball was good and he linked up well. I also think he gets lost deep forward and prefers running at the goals, even his roving goals in the past, from memory, are him running with the flight. I reckon if he gets an oportunity on HF or Wing more regularly we will start to see more of what the drafters saw.

Good point - Bomber should try this option when he moves Gaz into the forward line for a rest. If Trav starts getting towelled, go back to Plan A. A bloke wearing No 5 bombing it in to Gary Ablett has a nice ring to it...

It will still be hard for him to cement his spot in next one or two years but in a few years the core of our midfield could be Selwood, Prismall, Varcoe. This should give us the depth to get through the expected thinner drafts prior to the new teams joining.

We're gonna have to do some serious thinking about what to do with Prismall. Other clubs will have noticed his performance today - his trade value will only increase. We'll have to throw someone to the wolves, or at least to the magoos on a permanent basis, to keep Prissa.

 

[Asty]

To me it dosen't matter if he only gets it 12 times - it's what the man does with it that's important. If he spoils or causes errors with his pressure he's doing what he's paid to do.


Good point - Bomber should try this option when he moves Gaz into the forward line for a rest. If Trav starts getting towelled, go back to Plan A. A bloke wearing No 5 bombing it in to Gary Ablett has a nice ring to it...



We're gonna have to do some serious thinking about what to do with Prismall. Other clubs will have noticed his performance today - his trade value will only increase. We'll have to throw someone to the wolves, or at least to the magoos on a permanent basis, to keep Prissa.

I only mentioned the possessions because that is most peoples complaints about him.

The obvious ones to make way (delist or get used to VFL) are likely to be ...

Byrnes - had his chances and doesn't have the scope for improvement of some of the young guys.

Tenace - see byrnes but with even less flexibility at least byrnes can go forward.

NAblett - if he decides not to come back

 

[Nunga]

Varcoe cannot (and will not) continue to
be selected on the basis of offering defensive pressure alone ............. I still think he does'nt like the hard contest which so many Geelong players have thrived on in the last 18 months.

Coaching staff continue to work with him on this .......... confidence is a big thing with Varcoe and many believe he is 2+ years away from making an impact.



confidence is a big thing with Varcoe

How do you know????

 

[Nunga]

Lets not forget that Gazza averaged 8.5 poss in his 1st 2years of senior footy and Leon Davis 7.4 in his.
Needs 1 or 2 more pre-seasons and another 20-30 games before we see how good he really is. Has very slick hands,neat kick although lacking penatration at the moment and that all important X-factor.
Have a feeling all his detractors will be eating their words in a year or 2.

couldnt agree more. Give the kid time

 

[Cohzee]

I'd hate to see Varcoe dropped this round.

 

[CatFan79]

I'd hate to see Varcoe dropped this round.

Interesting, I don't think I've ever seen an under-achiever get so much support..

Surely he must clear the way for Stokes next week. If they drop Prismall they have rocks in their head.

 

[darren forssman]

Surely he must clear the way for Stokes next week. If they drop Prismall they have rocks in their head.

and speaking of underachievers...they should also keep the messiah in at the expense of scarlet!!!

 

[cat_fanatic]

and speaking of underachievers...they should also keep the messiah in at the expense of scarlet!!!

Surely you wouldn't upset a winning formula forss?

 

[darren forssman]

Surely you wouldn't upset a winning formula forss?

your not suggesting an unchanged squad??

 

[SJ]

What about the rumours that he's getting homesick and the club bring his family out every fortnight?

Not saying it's incorrect, but Trav doesn't seem the type to have those issues.

Those rumours are completly untrue, I know he has a Geelong girl as a girl friend and he loves the place

Travis does get very homesick, I doubt the club brings his family out every fortnight though.

 

[canny30]

An intriguing player in my view. He is lightning quick, has good skills, is good at laying tackles and seems to make good decisions. His weaknesses are that he is slight of build and cannot find enough of the footy.

On an unrelated topic I was just thinking how in my view Wojak is not in great form at the moment, and could be a candidate for the chop, when I realised that we don't have a fast line-breaking small defender who could replace him.

At this point a crazy thought popped into my head. Why couldn't Varcoe be groomed to be this player?

If you look at the quality attacking small defenders in the league, their key attributes almost to a man include pace, good foot skills, quality chasing/harassing and good decision making. Varcoe ticks these boxes.

In my opinion, Varcoe suffers from purely being a small forward because he can drift in and out of games when he isn't winning the ball. This would not be the case in defence. An attacking small defender rarely has to win his own ball (Varcoe's true weakness in my eyes) as he is fed by others to be a link man. Heath Shaw is a prime example of this (I do not use him as an example as a way to demean Heath, he is a very good player in my poinion and serves an extremely valuable purpose for the Pies).

This idea literally has just jumped into my head, and I admit has been posted without any research whatsoever. I also understand that it would be a steep learning curve for Travis as he has primarily been a forward to date. But, I think it may be worth it as I fear that we won't ever see him fulfill his immense potential if he is rotting on the vine as a low-possession small forward.

I would be interested in other Cats fans views on this. Is it a good idea, or am I having another brain fade?

Varcoe is a key ingredient to our team....he provides pressure on backmen running the ball out of our forward line.

He is 1000 times better than Byrnes....I believe he should have been a premiership player last season

 

[themuddy#3]

andrew mackie all over again, only without the skills or the descision making.

if you ticked thoose boxes with varcoe you would have got a big fat F on ur test.

 

[catswhiskers]

Canny

Please don't change anything about last year I am still enjoying the vibe.

Go Cats

 

[Nunga]

andrew mackie all over again, only without the skills or the descision making.

if you ticked thoose boxes with varcoe you would have got a big fat F on ur test.

Does that mean you dont rate Mackie either??

 

[SJ]

Maybe he used to get home sick but I'm sure it's not an issue now.
The club doesn't bring familys here anyway, if a player wants a family member to visit it's paid for by that player.

Well put this is on the record, I sat with him at the Season Launch and he told me first hand.

 

[Hinkley29]

Well put this is on the record, I sat with him at the Season Launch and he told me first hand.

If clubs paid for a player's family to come to the club, wouldn't that have to be included under the salary cap?