Past player - Travis Gaspar (2000 - 2006)

[Miguel Sanchez]

Travis Gaspar​

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Nickname: Gassy

DOB: 28/3/1981

Height: 197 cm

Weight: 95 kg

Playing number: 26 (2000 – 2003), 11 (2004 – 2006)

Arrived: Drafted at pick 14 in the 1999 national draft, from South Fremantle

Debut: Round 8, 2001 vs Hawthorn – 140th Eagles player

Games: 28

Goals: 15

Departed: Delisted at the end of the 2006 season.

The younger brother of Richmond 200-gamer Darren and former Melbourne player Damien, Travis Gaspar was a first-round pick for West Coast in 1999.

Gaspar was capable of holding down a key position at either end of the ground, when his body allowed it. A series of injuries, primarily to his foot and his hamstrings, limited him to just 28 games in 7 seasons at the club and meant that we never truly saw the best of him.

Making his debut in 2001, Gaspar showed promise as a strong-marking centre-half forward in 6 games that year. He managed 10 the following year before injury struck. It would remain his most productive season.

The most intriguing part of the Gaspar story came in 2005. He sat out the early part of the season injured, before making his return through South Freo’s reserves at the half-way mark. After some solid form in the Bulldogs’ seniors in the second half of the year, he was surprisingly plucked out of the WAFL to play his first AFL game for the year in the preliminary final against Adelaide. Perhaps suffering from nerves, he collected Ken McGregor with an elbow before the first bounce, giving away a 50-metre penalty and a goal and finding himself on a striking charge.

Gaspar escaped suspension at the tribunal during the week (arguably to even the ledger after Barry Hall was cleared for punching Matt Maguire in the guts off the ball), and took the field in the 2005 grand final in just his second appearance for the season. Unfortunately he had little effect on the contest.

After spending the successful 2006 season at South Fremantle with the occasional, but now unpleasantly familiar, injury interruption, Gaspar was delisted at the end of the year.

Gaspar crossed to Perth in 2007 but continued to struggle with injury and managed just a handful of games for the Demons before retiring.

Where is he now? Gaspar remains involved in football as a director of coaching and mentoring organisation Advantage Coaching Academy[/LEFT]

 

[joeyavalanche]

Re: Past player of the week - Travis Gaspar

90% sure that image is sam butler.


nevertheless,
gasper was a few years ahead of me at school and always wanted him to make it. unfortunately his body just wasnt up to it

 

[JordanWCE]

Re: Past player of the week - Travis Gaspar

That's Sam Butler...

 

[Ambrose Burnside]

Re: Past player of the week - Travis Gaspar

Talented, and I seem to recall an Ash Hansen style "When he plays, West Coast win"-type article written about him, but unfortunately I'll always remember him as one of the many bizarre selection/coaching decisions that contributed to us losing the 05 Grand Final.

 

[Miguel Sanchez]

Re: Past player of the week - Travis Gaspar

I like to get one error in each one of these threads to keep you guys on your toes

No idea how the pic of Butler got in there though. I'll replace it when I get home.

 

[EagleEye90]

Re: Past player of the week - Travis Gaspar

From what i rememer gasper was a really tall and lanky player who looked quite awkard. Such a shame about all the injuries.

 

[ioppolo]

Re: Past player of the week - Travis Gaspar

He came to my school once in a Moon boot.

 

[September_Glory]

Re: Past player of the week - Travis Gaspar

I haven't got the book in front of me but I will always remember what Ben Cousins' autobiography said about Travis Gasper.

The message Cousins was getting at was along the lines of:

"Despite all his bad luck with injuries, despite not playing, he was inspirational to our team. He never complained once. We all pushed harder because of the character he showed around the club"

I thought it was an great little insight into what the concept of 'team' means for professional players.


Good to see he's still involved in footy.

 

[Byron_Clanger]

Re: Past player of the week - Travis Gaspar

He came to my school once in a Moon boot.

Enthralling story that, if West Coast won in 2005 he probably would have been one of the luckiest Premiership players in AFL history

 

[Alexwce]

Re: Past player of the week - Travis Gaspar

Plagued by injury. Guy had talent.

 

[the harry]

Re: Past player of the week - Travis Gaspar

That elbow.....

Looking at this makes me want to look at our 05 gf side again and all the players that probably shouldn't have played (either through injury or just being a seemingly obscure selection) but then I'd much prefer to forget it all.

 

[Natho]

Re: Past player of the week - Travis Gaspar

Oddly selected in that gf. But what can you do. Had talent but suffered Ash Hansen disorder always injured.

 

[kane249]

Re: Past player of the week - Travis Gaspar

Oddly selected in that gf. But what can you do. Had talent but suffered Ash Hansen disorder always injured.

Debatable, showed promise early in his career but towards the end you were wondering why we were still bothering with him. Came from the clouds to play for in '05, him and Gardiner were both lucky to have played that day as both contributed nothing.

 

[Altum Volantes]

Re: Past player of the week - Travis Gaspar

This guy! Got his tyres pumped up massively on BF when the majority finally realized Andrew McDougall was not going to lead us to glory!

Never fit and never really showed much anyway.

None factor in the 2005 GF, proof that you can't drop your bundle at the selection table during the finals and expect to win a flag.