Saturday Travis Varcoe enjoyed his first run out on the field since damaging his shoulder in round 3, putting him back on the injury list that he’d just left.

Varcoe put his body to the test and played a promising four quarters in the VFL, contributing to the Cats’ 74-point win over North Ballarat.

This time Varcoe admitted he felt a lot more optimistic about his return and believed he would be ready to make an impact before the AFL season ends.

“I feel a lot better,'' Varcoe told Fairfax.

''Last year I was cutting it a bit fine, trying to cram a lot into a short amount of time.

''But this time [the injury] happened at the start of the year and it gave me a bit of time. The [seniors] are doing relatively OK and this gives me a bit of breathing space to make sure I'm 100 per cent.

“Hopefully I'll be back in a couple of weeks,''

Having spent the majority of last year bounded to the sideline with a serious foot injury, Varcoe was just grateful to be back in the blue and white hoops playing the game he loves.

''It's been a long time coming. I sort of haven't strung too many games together, so it was nice just to get back out there,'' he said.

VFL also welcomed another senior player back from injury, former Melbourne player Jared Rivers, who damaged his knee in Sydney a week after Varcoe’s shoulder injury.

The defender was thrilled to return and have another shot with his new club, which was made even sweeter with the massive conquest against the Roosters.

''It was good to be back out there. It's been a while,'' Rivers said.

''It feels a bit better when you have a win, that's for sure.''

Despite being forced out of the senior list to the medical room, Rivers has received endless support from his new club and is eager to play amongst some of the AFL’s best players and to earn their trust.  

''All the guys have been fantastic. It's such a really well-run club and you have to try and get some respect off the guys you look up to," Rivers said.

''It's always challenging but it's just great to play alongside some of these great players and work with some great coaches as well.''