Varcoe disappointed to be sidelined, but Wells set to return
Travis Varcoe says he’s disappointed to be missing Collingwood’s Sir Doug Nicholls round clash with Fremantle due to injury, but Daniel Wells remains on track to return.
Varcoe will miss Sunday’s game after straining his hamstring in Friday night’s win over the Western Bulldogs, but is confident it will only be a short stint on the sidelines.
Although Wells only trained lightly at Olympic Park on Tuesday afternoon, he will ramp up his training later in the week and is expected to play.
There may be more than one change at Collingwood, with Rupert Wills and Brody Mihocek both performing strongly in the VFL and in contention for selection.
Varcoe says while it’s disappointing not to be playing, he’ll be keeping a close eye as to who steps up to play his role.
“I’m looking forward to, whoever gets the opportunity, for them to step into that role and to watch them grow because at some stage they’re going to be pushing you out and I hope they do the role well and I’ll leave with a smile on my face,” Varcoe said on Tuesday.
“I’m looking forward to whoever steps up and takes the reigns and I’ll be watching eagerly.”
Varcoe referenced his team’s ability to yet again deal with a significant amount of injuries this season and yet finds themselves inside the eight with six wins and four losses.
Jamie Elliott, Darcy Moore, Alex Fasolo, James Aish, Tim Broomhead, Tyson Goldsack and Brayden Maynard are just some of the senior Pies on the injury list, while the likes of Scott Pendlebury, Jordan De Goey, Ben Reid, Taylor Adams and Levi Greenwood are some of the Pies who have been injured during the year but are back playing.
Varcoe sees the parallels with the improvement in their form and their ability to cover for key players missing.
“That’s when a team starts to get better and better and getting from being a good side to a great side, that definitely helps,” he said.
Varcoe said that this week, for all Indigenous footballers, represented something very special and he was gutted that injury was preventing him from taking part.
“The first thing that ran through my mind (about missing this week) at that stage, you never want to miss any footy but in particular this round for all the Indigenous boys,'' he said.
“It’s just about the acknowledgement and recognition of those that have come before us and paved the way. They’ve made life pretty easy for myself and for all the Indigenous players that have played today.
“I can only imagine how hard it was for them then. We’ve still got a long way to go but we’re definitely on the right track.”