Dual Geelong premiership player Travis Varcoe will be inducted into the club's Hall of Fame later this month.
Varcoe played 230 AFL games, including 138 with the Cats between 2006 and 2014, before finishing his career at Collingwood.
The classy half forward was a highly rated junior footballer who was given the honour of wearing club legend's Gary Ablett's famous number five jumper.
Varcoe created a reputation as a player who regularly stood up in big moments and performed well during finals games.
He featured in two premierships with the Cats and played a starring role in the 2011 grand final win over Collingwood, finishing with 21 disposals and three goals, including kicking the opening two goals of the match.
The 36-year-old paid tribute to some of his former teammates when discussing his career on K-Rock Radio.
"As a young Aboriginal man coming into Geelong, having Mathew Stokes here as that father figure who took me under his wing, he really looked after me on a cultural level and I will be forever indebted to him," Varcoe said.
"Watching Cameron Ling go into legend status, that will be something that will hold a really special place in my heart.
"He was one that gave me the hard love when I needed it, but then wrapped his arms around me when I needed that.
"Cam Mooney was a really good person to follow, Paul Chapman for me was my favourite person to run out alongside, Steve Johnson as well, those guys made my job a lot easier in terms of their leadership and feedback."
Varcoe was a key member of what was one of the greatest teams of the modern era and enjoyed an incredible 83 per cent win rate, including winning 43 or 47 games at the Cats' home ground of Kardinia Park.
His best seasons in the white and navy-blue hoops were across 2010 and 2011, where he booted 31 goals in both years and was a vital cog in the Cats' damaging forward-line.
Varcoe said that his former coach Mark 'Bomber' Thompson had a huge impact in shaping him into the player that he was.
"Nobody had a greater impact on me than Bomber Thompson," Varcoe said.
"I take my hat off to the boys with all they did for me, but Bomber taught me the right way to play the game.
"He gave me the right tools to be able to progress my game, and as a person he was amazing."
