Nathan Vardy Biography

Andrew Brayshaw says he wasn't that bothered by Nathan Vardy's recent jibe, but he appreciates the apology put forth by West Coast.

Vardy twice yelled out Brayshaw's name in an attempt to distract teammate Andrew Gaff as the Eagles midfielder lined up for a birthday shot at goal at training.

The jibe was in reference to the incident last year when Gaff broke Brayshaw's jaw in an off-the-ball hit. Gaff said Vardy's comments were in poor taste, and apologised publicly to Brayshaw. Eagles coach Adam Simpson also made a public apology on behalf of the club.

"When I heard it (Vardy's comments) I was a little bit disappointed, but at the end of the day I've physically and emotionally moved on from it, so it didn't bother me that much," Brayshaw said.

"And to hear Andrew (Gaff), Simmo, and the whole club support me a bit, I was really appreciative of that. It didn't really bother me that much to be honest."

A flawless pre-season campaign has Nathan Vardy in good shape to stake his case for the No.1 ruck role at West Coast.

"The body is feeling really good. I think I've only missed one session and that was when my son was born," Vardy said.

"Being able to do a full pre-season and just grind out the minutes helps me spend more time in the ruck."

West Coast recruit Tom Hickey believes he will be competing with Nathan Vardy for the Eagles' ruck/forward role.

"I have played thirty of my eighty games as a forward. There is real scope for me to compete with Nathan Vardy for that forward role as well," Hickey said.

"I see myself primarily as a ruckman who can go forward, but if the opportunity is there I just want to play wherever I can to get a game.

"Coming over here is a fresh start. I am really excited to get into it and learn with Vards and learn off Nic Nat, Drew Petrie (NGA coach) and the other guys in the ruck department to grow my game."

As he prepares to represent the Eagles in the 2018 Grand Final, Nathan Vardy is happy he ignored any temptation to retire during his injury-plagued years.

"There were times when I wondered if it was even worth it. Would I be better off moving on to start the next phase of my life?" Vardy said.

"But I always thought if I was able to get back I could make a good fist of it.

"I've only been here for two seasons, but I've already played more games than I did in seven years at Geelong. Then to add a Grand Final to that this week – I never thought it was possible."

Nathan Vardy couldn't help feeling a tinge of envy last year watching close mate Josh Caddy live out his premiership dream with Richmond.

At the end of 2016, the Geelong duo left the Cattery for fresh starts, with Caddy joining the Tigers and Vardy moving across the country to help West Coast fill a big-man void.

"I caught up with him in Bali afterwards. Obviously, you're jealous, but it's good to see your mates win," Vardy said.

"He made a pretty good decision in the end to go to Richmond. He probably wasn't expecting a flag straight up when he went there.

"Definitely jealous, but really happy for him as well."

Nathan Vardy signs a new two-year deal to remain at West Coast until the end of 2020.

"I just love everyone at the footy club and I’ve fell in love with the city of Perth as well, so it was a very easy decision (to re-sign)," Vardy said.

West Coast confirm that Nathan Vardy will miss at least the next month with an abductor tear.

"We’re not really going to know until he starts healing and then we start taking him through each phase of the recovery process," Eagles football manager Craig Vozzo said.

"The positive thing is it’s not a structural injury and he’s suffered some pretty significant structural injuries over time."

West Coast is sweating on the fitness of Nathan Vardy after the big man was taken from the field with a suspected adductor strain during Sunday's 29-point practice match loss to Fremantle at Lathlain Park.

Vardy collapsed after a ruck contest on the wing in the fourth quarter and was in some distress as he was helped to the bench by trainers.

"He's tweaked his groin a bit and it doesn't look great at the moment," midfield and stoppage coach Nathan van Berlo said.

"It's pretty unfortunate for Nathan to go down in the last quarter. He's pretty sore at the moment."

West Coast recruits Drew Petrie and Nathan Vardy have formed an unexpected partnership for the Eagles in 2017.

"It's probably not the combination we expected to be doing the rucking duties, but it's how the cards have fallen," Petrie said.

After managing just 25 games in seven seasons at the Cattery, Vardy has remarkably played every match in his first year at the Eagles.

"I spoke to Vards early on when we both arrived here and he said he hadn't managed to play a game of football within the first six weeks of any season of his career," Petrie said.

"For him to play every game is awesome, and his belief and confidence would be pretty high at the moment."

Fears of a deepening ruck crisis at West Coast have eased slightly with Nathan Vardy escaping serious damage to his elbow.

Vardy hurt his arm in the opening quarter of the Eagles' Western Derby triumph over Fremantle, but played through the pain to finish the match.

"He's not fully in the clear yet, but the worst-case scenario was going to be a 12-16 week injury," West Coast coach Adam Simpson said.

"He's still pretty sore (but) it will be short-term."

Nathan Vardy says he feels in career-best shape after an uninterrupted first pre-season in Perth.

"I got through last year pretty unscathed – I had a few form issues – but so far in this pre-season the worst thing I've had is probably chafe," Vardy said.

"I haven't done too many pre-seasons since I've been in the system, so to go to this stage of the year unscathed and be running pretty well, I'm pretty happy with where I'm at."

Injury-plagued West Coast recruit Nathan Vardy has never been more confident in his body and hopes a fresh start in Perth will revitalise his career.

"All up with NAB Challenge, VFL and AFL games, it was about 19 games (I played this year), so I think definitely my body has turned the corner," Vardy told 6PR radio.

"I've obviously put a lot of work into it, trying to get my injuries right and this year had the most confidence in it that I have, which was very pleasing.

"But I just couldn't put that into playing form this year, which was probably the frustrating part and hopefully a fresh start and a fresh set of eyes over my body and my football is just what I need."

West Coast boosts its rucks stocks after securing Nathan Vardy from Geelong in exchange for pick No.72 in the 2016 national draft.

"It's about a fresh start at a great club like the Eagles," Vardy said.

"Along with the exciting list, being able to work with Dean Cox and learn from him and the Eagles' ruckmen in the future was a huge factor in my decision."

Nathan Vardy's season isn't over, but the injury-plagued big man will miss a "number of weeks" following an ankle sprain in the VFL at the weekend.

Vardy was stretchered from Simonds Stadium in the game against Essendon's VFL side on Sunday writhing in pain.

But Cats coach Chris Scott confirmed the news is much better than first thought for the 25-year-old.

"It's relatively good news because it did look terrible," Scott said on Wednesday.

"He's going to miss a number of weeks, but it's certainly not season-ending, nor anything close to."

Nathan Vardy is on the verge of a surprise comeback to football this week after making a rapid recovery from a left foot injury.

"We were unsure of [the foot's] progress, but since he has come out of the boot he has passed every test with flying colours, and he is coming under strong consideration for playing a game this week," Geelong physiotherapist Mark Young said.

Nathan Vardy's unlucky run with injury has continued with the Geelong forward set to miss up to six weeks with a foot complaint.

Vardy suffered a ligament strain in his foot in Saturday's VFL practice match against North Ballarat at Simonds Stadium.

The injury, which came about when a Roosters opponent fell across the 24-year-old's foot in a marking contest, does not require surgery.

"This was just an unlucky incident during the game," Cats football manager Steve Hocking said.

"The good news is that there is no surgery required and we expect this injury to heal over the next month.

"Nathan will be in a boot for a couple of weeks as he continues to heal from this injury."

Geelong is hopeful it will see the best of Nathan Vardy in 2016 after signing the ruckman to a new deal following his successful return from injury late this year.

"Nathan has experienced his fair share of roadblocks, particularly over the last 18 months. But to see him push through that and make a strong comeback to AFL was really pleasing for us," Geelong football manager Steve Hocking said.

"His ability to perform in the ruck and push forward is something we as a club value highly."

Geelong names Nathan Vardy to make his long-awaited return against St Kilda at Etihad Stadium.

"I'm very excited, obviously. It's been a long time since I've played AFL football," Vardy said.

"I've dreamt about it every day that I've been injured ... but it has probably snuck up on me a little bit."

Nathan Vardy is set to make his long-awaited comeback via the VFL this weekend.

The 24-year-old big man has not played since the 2013 preliminary final against Hawthorn after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee in a training mishap in February 2014.

"It's a credit to him, with what he?s been through, and how many setbacks he's had with this knee as well," Geelong football manager Steve Hocking said.

"If he can complete a full week and the main session, he'll be available to play this weekend."

Nathan Vardy undergoes surgery on his reconstructed knee, creating further uncertainty about when he might return.

"It's so uncertain that I don't want to appear definitive but our expectation is that this is a minor setback," Geelong coach Chris Scott said.

"The feedback is that the surgery went really well. It was only a minor procedure just to clean out a bit of an impingement so we're hopeful that will only keep him out for a couple of weeks."

Geelong coach Chris Scott says he remains optimistic that Daniel Menzel and Nathan Vardy can have long-term careers at Geelong.

"We're thinking long-term with them," Scott said.

"We're not thinking, let's try to squeeze 30 games out of these two boys and then cast them aside. We're still optimistic they can have five-, eight- or nine-year careers with us."

Nathan Vardy is likely to have a traditional knee reconstruction, rather than one using the LARS method.

"I think he's seeing the surgeon today and the decisions will be made after that," Cats football operations manager Neil Balme said.

"I think you'd predict that he won't play this year, which is sad for him and sad for us, but we all move on."

Nathan Vardy's season is almost certainly over after he ruptured the ACL in his right knee at training.

"Obviously this is tremendously disappointing for Nathan and the team," Geelong's football manager Neil Balme said.

"As is often the case, the injury happened in an innocuous situation at training. Nathan and our medical team will consult with specialists ahead of surgery to repair his knee. At this stage we do not have a timetable on surgery."

With players returning from injury, Nathan Vardy says he is more than happy to step down as No.1 ruckman for the Cats.

"Last year getting a real taste of playing against those monsters of the game, I realised I'm not physically ready to be the club's No.1 ruckman yet," Vardy said.

"It takes that extra load off my shoulders if I don't have to play in the ruck. Last year I had to fill the role because those boys were down.

"But with them on the track it gives me the freedom to be able to play forward and just chop them out when I'm needed to."

Nathan Vardy says he was surprised to be told by Geelong coach Chris Scott that he would be recalled to the side and would start on the ground after spending most of the season out injured.

"I was like, 'Wow.' I sort of hadn't been talked to about it. It was a bit of a bonus for a pretty crappy year for me," Vardy said after Geelong beat the Swans by 34 points.

"He said, 'You'll start in, so just go for the ball and jump through the roof.' It was a bit of a surprise, but I loved it."

After three impressive performances in the VFL, Nathan Vardy is selected for Geelong's final regular season game for 2012 against the Swans and says he worried his career was over as he battled a serious hip injury.

"Early in the year I didn't think I'd play this year [and] I'd never play at all, so to be able to get back before the season finishes is a great thrill," Vardy said.

"With the injury I had I learnt I can't take it for granted. It's a privilege to be playing on the big stage. Now every game that I do play at the highest level I have to cherish and respect it."

Ruckman Nathan Vardy is a strong chance to return for Geelong against the Sydney Swans.

"Everything's going to plan for him," Geelong physio Mike Snelling said.

"He played nearly 70 per cent game-time in the VFL, moved a lot better, and is getting more confident as he's playing more.

"So things are going great for him. We'll keep training him this week and hopefully he'll come up for the weekend."

Returning Geelong ruckman Nathan Vardy boosted his chances of a senior recall with a dominant display in the ruck, amassing 36 hitouts, in the VFL.

Geelong ruckman Nathan Vardy plays his first VFL game and says he is glad to be playing footy again.

"It was good to run around, get some K's into my legs, and get a feel for the footy again," Vardy said.

"I'm just happy to play for the rest of the year. If I get into the ones, it's just a bonus now. I've had so many setbacks this year that just playing footy is my number one priority."

Geelong ruckman Nathan Vardy will make his long-awaited return from injury in the VFL on Sunday.

"Obviously there's a little bit of uncertainty over his injury. We can never be sure how he going to go," Geelong physio Mike Snelling said.

"So we'll give him a run and see how he goes on a bit of restricted game-time."

After an injury-ravaged season, Nathan Vardy completed his first session of the year with the main group on Tuesday.

"For the last six weeks I've been running, starting to get some miles into my legs and ticking off some agility things," Vardy said.

"Now I've actually joined in with the boys and done some footy skills. It was good to be around the fellas and chasing a footy rather than just running around the white line of the oval."

Geelong has conceded ruckman Nathan Vardy won't be ready to return from injury until the last few weeks of the season.

"We've said all along that we're going to take our time with him, that we're going to be ultra-cautious," Cats coach Chris Scott said.

"So any suggestion that he was going to play in the first half of the season we had always dismissed, and nothing has really changed to alter that.

"But my preference is to not talk about Nathan Vardy until at least the last third of the season, because it's just not even a possibility before that."

Geelong forward Nathan Vardy is hopeful of returning to the VFL by the middle of the season as he recovers from a hip injury.

"I've ticked most of the running off, so it's about getting into the contact work - the tackling, marking and being able to land after being bumped in the air," Vardy told the Geelong Advertiser.

"I haven't done any contact, so hopefully in the next few weeks I can start to tick off a few more things. But it's a slow process and we'll see how it goes."

Nathan Vardy says he is expecting to be in action by the middle of the season, good news after being told he may not play again.

"[When I was] on crutches it was a very nervous time, but now that I've started running I'm starting to think that I'm sweet again," Vardy said.

"But I've just got to wait and see how it pulls up from the contact stuff when that comes around."

Nathan Vardy reveals that his hip surgeon told him that he might never play again.

"He explained the surgery to me and I said, 'Will I play again?', and he said, 'I don't know, mate. It depends how you recover'. He outlined that it could end my career, so I had to be ready for that," Vardy said.

"It was in the paper that it was a routine operation, but when they went in it was worse than they first thought. It knocked me around a bit and I just basically said, 'Wow, my career has just started'."

Despite training well, injured Cats pair Daniel Menzel and Nathan Vardy are unlikely to be fit for the early parts of the new season as they recover from knee and hip injuries respectively.

"We'd like to think they're in good shape, but to think they're going to play in the early rounds is naïve," Cats coach Chris Scott said.

"We'll wait until they're ready, and probably give them a little bit longer to be honest."

Geelong's ruck depth has received a much-needed boost after the return of Nathan Vardy to full running.

"Because he wasn't able to run for some time, there's still a fair bit of work he's got to get into his legs and his body before we actually risk playing him," Geelong general manager of football Balme told the Geelong Advertiser.

"So he's still got a few steps to go but we're very confident he'll be right. We're very pleased (with his recovery progress) and he looks good."

Nathan Vardy will miss the team's altitude training in Falls Creek but has avoided more surgery on his hip.

"His program is coming along," Geelong assistant coach Blake Caracella said.

"Fingers crossed all goes to plan and he's back playing shortly. But he's definitely on track, or ahead of where we thought he'd be."

Geelong football manager Neil Balme says the decision to send Nathan Vardy for surgery on his hip was the right one despite the promising young ruck/forward having to miss this year's finals.

"They weren't quite sure how to deal with it at first, but after deciding to send him down (to Tasmania) to have a look, we think it probably would not have fully recovered without the surgery," Balme said.

"There was some damage to the ends of the hip and the cartilage. He was a little bit sore and clearly we were concerned about it. It was a bit more damage than we expected."

Exciting youngster Nathan Vardy will miss at least four weeks due to a hip injury sustained against Adelaide.

"Our medical department looked at the options, including the hip undergoing surgery, to give Nathan the best option to be fit and to play in the finals," Geelong football manager Neil Balme said.

"In the end the best course of action was for Nathan to have surgery on the hip. The minimum recovery time is four weeks, which will put his best return date around the preliminary final."

Nathan Vardy makes his AFL debut for Geelong at Docklands Stadium with 6 disposals (a kick and 5 handballs), a mark, 2 tackles and 3 hitouts in a 2-point win over Carlton.

Ruckman Nathan Vardy has emerged as a genuine chance to make the line up for Geelong's opening home and away match against St Kilda.

"He's still got a way to go, but he's probably in that group of players that I believe is capable of playing AFL football," Geelong coach Chris Scott said.

"Like a lot of big men - they take a lot of time to develop - he's got some limitations in his game that are more a function of his physical immaturity rather than anything else."

New Geelong ruckman Nathan Vardy was given some great advice after getting drafted last week from his cousin and ex-Richmond Tiger Royce Vardy.

"He (Royce) rang me up after my name got called out and just said 'don't stuff it (AFL career) up like I did'," Vardy said yesterday.

"'Make the most of your opportunity because it only comes around for a few people'."