Varcoe’s silent, sad salute to Maggie
AFTER an AFL epic as tight as a tourniquet, Travis Varcoe went for a wander.
As the final siren sounded on an astonishing West Coast premiership, Collingwood’s sentimental favourite Varcoe walked aimlessly by himself.
The vanquished Varcoe looked to the skies, saluting his sister Maggie, who had died just four weeks ago after a freak accident when playing footy. Varcoe tapped his heart twice, then kissed his hand.
After his personal tribute, he picked up three Collingwood teammates who had sunk to the ground, weighed down by defeat — just as his teammates had helped pick him up after his sister’s death.
Varcoe graciously entered the celebratory Eagles mob, shaking hands with, among others, Dom Sheed.
The Eagles conceded the initial five goals of the game.
Collingwood held the lead for all but nine minutes of the entire game. But they were five points down when it mattered most: the final siren.
The ripping contest produced heroes aplenty, from West Coast’s saviour Sheed to his mate Luke Shuey, now a Norm Smith medallist after collecting 34 disposals, 19 of them contested, and laying eight tackles.
Eagles backmen Tom Barrass and skipper Shannon Hurn were stoic. Forward Josh Kennedy was an ever-present threat with three goals from five scoring shots. And consider Kennedy’s attacking sidekick, Jack Darling.
For three years, Darling had lived with a footy devil on his shoulders. For 25 glorious minutes on Saturday, he played like a man possessed.
Darling’s third quarter helped turn the tide: he took six marks in a stunning 25minute span to help the Eagles surge within striking distance. Darling’s feats banished his demons from the 2015 grand final when he was pilloried for dropping his head, and dropping a mark, in a heavy loss to Hawthorn.
Now, he can hold his head high.