Travis Varcoe hasn't missed a beat this season, says Geelong teammate Andrew Mackie
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A STRONG display from flashy utility Travis Varcoe was the highlight of Geelong's intra-club match at Greystanes in western Sydney on Friday.
The vast majority of the squad took part in the hour-long hit-out with Gary Ablett and Brad Ottens the only members of the travelling party to watch from the sidelines.
Jimmy Bartel and Max Rooke did not make the trip after spraining their ankles in training and they missed out on witnessing Varcoe’s blistering performance through the midfield.
While the dual premiership pair was absent, several hundred locals flocked to the ground to watch the Cats put the final touches to their preparation for a NAB Cup opener against North Melbourne on February 21.
Varcoe was the most prominent player throughout a game that varied in intensity, with Joel Corey, Shannon Byrnes and the three-pronged attack of Cameron Mooney, Tom Hawkins and mature-aged rookie James Podsiadly also impressing.
Both Steve Johnson and Paul Chapman blew the cobwebs out with solid efforts, while skipper Cameron Ling ran tirelessly in the searing heat.
Defender Andrew Mackie said Varcoe's good form was just reward for a strong pre-season.
"He's shown that he's got a bit of fitness behind him and a bloke like that stands out when he's using his pace. If we can get the ball into his hands and get him to break the lines, it'll be better for us," he said.
"The only thing that's been stopping him is his fitness and being able to play the four quarters through. He hasn't missed a beat this pre-season and that’s going to hold him in good stead."
The Cats relied largely on Mooney and Hawkins to provide their tall attacking targets in 2009 but Mackie said Podsiadly was making a strong case for his inclusion this year.
The 28-year-old former VFL champion goalkicker would need to be elevated to the senior list to make his AFL debut, but a vacancy already exists after young forward Mitch Brown (leg) was recently added to the long-term injury list.
"We haven't had that sort of luxury, being able to have the three talls," Mackie said.
"Brad Ottens has come down there at times and changed from the ruck, but I thought it actually worked alright today. All those three blokes … I can't see why they can't work together and be pretty potent up forward."
The Cats look set to field a reasonably strong side for their clash against North and while Mackie said the club hadn't set any NAB Cup targets, winning was always a focus.
"You always like to win games of footy. You get that winning culture in a footy club and it's hard to get rid of," he said.
"I'm sure when next week comes, it's not the be-all and end-all but you do want to win the games of footy that you play in and keep good habits going."
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