By Ben Somerford
December 10th 2009 @ 2:44am
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Was Gary Ablett out of line meeting with Gold Coast?
Gary Ablett of Geelong breaks the tackle of Brent Stanton of Essendon. Slattery Images
Brownlow Medallist Gary Ablett Jnr has copped some criticism this week after he was spotted at a Broadbeach apartment complex prior to a ‘secret’ meeting with Gold Coast officials.
The Geelong on-baller and his manager Liam Pickering were randomly spotted chatting with Gold Coast officials by Port Adelaide players who were coincidently staying at the same complex for a club training camp.
The unlikely coincidence which occurred to see Ablett sprung, only highlights the point this was meant to be a ‘secret’ meeting.
Indeed, the hush-hush nature of it all invites scepticism.
After all, if the two-time Premiership player and 2009 Brownlow Medallist was to up and leave Geelong, it would be a massive story. I dare say perhaps the biggest story in Australian sport for 2010.
Indeed, as we know, the Gold Coast don’t join the AFL until the 2011 season, so Ablett meeting their contingent over a year out from their league debut is certainly planning ahead.
But it needs to be, because should the deal go through, Gold Coast will shape their list and salary cap expenditure around Ablett.
Nevertheless, the timing of the meeting has attracted the ire of some, in particular Essendon coach Matthew Knights.
I should mention (if you somehow didn’t know already) Ablett is contracted with Geelong for the 2010 season before that deal expires, opening up the possibility of a move north in 2011.
But back to Knights who told SEN radio he would be ‘grossly disappointed’ if a player at his club followed Ablett’s lead heading to Queensland for a ‘secret’ meeting with a rival club.
Knights hypothetically added, “If you’re in a program and (for example) young Patrick (Ryder) was up there talking to the Gold Coast, while you’re in program and the day before you may have been looking into his eyes in the team meeting… I think that would be grossly disappointing and its something we’ve got to be careful with.”
But Geelong had fairly let him head to Queensland to visit his brother and father who reside up their nowadays and the club have shown little disappointment in his ensuing actions.
Nevertheless Geelong’s response may be tactful and it is probably fair to say most AFL coaches would feel a hint of what Knights is talking about.
But while loyalty to your coach and your club is one thing, you’ve got to look after yourself and Ablett isn’t out of line listening to Gold Coast’s pitch.
He would be crazy not to hear what Gold Coast had to offer, considering there are rumours he could become the league’s top earner with a contract on the table apparently worth around $1.5 to $1.6 million a season for four years.
And what is ignored is Ablett is doing this out of season, and while it was an opportunistic meeting, it hardly interferes with Geelong’s pre-season.
Had there been a meeting between the parties during the 2010 regular season after a Geelong game in Brisbane, for example, then it would be easy to argue his mind wouldn’t be on the job.
But Ablett and his management now have heard Gold Coast’s pitch and they can digest the information, make a decision based on it (either way) and then re-focus for 2010.
You would just hope Ablett can make a decision sooner rather than later, otherwise he could be hounded by journalists for most of the 2010 season, ala Kurt Tippett.
Nevertheless, Ablett deserves the right to listen to Gold Coast‘s pitch. And now is the ideal time to discuss it.
And while I, personally, can not see Ablett leaving Geelong, I can’t see the harm in him hearing what they’ve got to say either.
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Kurt said | December 10th 2009 @ 3:26am | Report comment
No real issue from my perspective. As you say Ben, he has a loyalty to his club but also a duty to himself to at least hear GC out, get an understanding of what might be on offer so he can make up his mind in an informed way. I too can’t see him leaving, but I think Geelong may need to reach a little deeper into their pockets than they might like.
Redb said | December 10th 2009 @ 6:48am | Report comment
Nothing wrong with sounding them out. Ablett has two premierships at Geelong with a third possible in 2010.
The Gold Coast is an attractive proposition all round he’d by crazy not to be open to the idea.
Redb
Michael C said | December 10th 2009 @ 8:25am | Report comment
and hey, Gary Jnr is allowed to visit his brother isn’t he?
and confirm with folk involved at the club that his brother has settled in just fine……
…..and for all we know, he may be white anting GC17 in trying to lure Nathan back to the cattery!!!!
Ian Whitchurch said | December 10th 2009 @ 9:27am | Report comment
If Geelong wanted him that badly, they’d be extending his contract … having a player like Ablett on a one year contract is just asking for a bidding war.
And if Geelong cant afford it, well, this is what the salary cap is for – spreading the talent around the competition, and preventing dynasties.
albatross said | December 10th 2009 @ 9:27am | Report comment
I heard he really went there to meet with Clive Palmer.
Michael C said | December 10th 2009 @ 3:17pm | Report comment
interesting to see GC17 likely to throw lifelines to guys like Robert Shirley and Danil Harris.
Michael C said | December 10th 2009 @ 3:22pm | Report comment
type…..”Daniel Harris.
Freud of Football said | December 10th 2009 @ 6:31pm | Report comment
“And if Geelong cant afford it, well, this is what the salary cap is for – spreading the talent around the competition, and preventing dynasties.”
No, that is the inherent problem with the salary cap. No-one down at Geelong will want to see him go and that he might have to is utterly ridiculous.
All the salary cap does is ruin the great players careers. Ablett deserves a fortune more than his peers but he won’t be paid it, he might go down in history as being the greatest player of his generation yet he earns the same sort of money as Fevola et al.
Players careers are only so long, they should be able to maximise their earning potential for the duration of that time, that they can’t shows the biggest flaw in the AFL and if they want the game to stay as the number one sport they’re going to need to come up with a solution to entice people to become professional’s.
As it stands they train ridiculously hard, play a game that takes an incredible amount of the body and are compensated with meagre wages when compared to any other professional sport.
The AFL shouldn’t discourage dynasties, on the contrary, they should be trying to have clubs build a history, you do that by winning multiple flags, not making the competition so even that the flag changes hands every year.
davelee said | December 16th 2009 @ 4:57pm | Report comment
meh Freud? u jump the gun sometimes. theres bigger problems.
anyway, Id love to see Gary Ablett jnr on the Goldie. Would be great for the new franchise.