Lebron James, Michael Clarke, Gary Ablett. Each share the rare distinction of being both undisputed superstars of their respective sports but also being the tailsman for their respective teams: they can make or break their team’s fortunes.
When it works, it works brilliantly. Admittedly James had a lot of superstar pals helping him lead the Heat to NBA, glory but the reality is it would probably not have occurred without him.
For Clarke, and before Mitchell Johnson’s re-emergence, he arguably was the team in those desolate days before the last two Ashes series. His form was peerless and when the side was having its rare moments in the sun, it invariably was due to Clarke producing a stunning innings.
Now that the team has recovered ground, Clarke remains their best player, but he has others around him who can be almost as heavily and consistently relied upon. He is no longer carries the team on his own shoulders.
Watching the Gold Coast Suns meekly submit to an on-fire Brisbane Lions on Saturday night, it became clear that this superstar scenario is a double-edged sword. While it’s great to have the dominant, untouchable superstar to turn and win the game, without them, the team is likely to suffer and fade.
It was not meant to be this way for the Suns. They had, it seemed, sufficient talent apart from Ablett to cover his season-ending injury. A loss to the Bulldogs in the first game of the post-Ablett season could be excused as the team running out of energy in the last quarter after three competitive and composed previous quarters.
Then came the Lions game, a first quarter like no others seen this or any other season, a complete absence of competitive intent and a drubbing by the team heavily competing for the wooden spoon. All of the Suns players’ eyes seemed focussed on that lonely, empty spot in the middle of the ground where Ablett might have been.
Their spirit was gone and while they – relatively speaking – were a bit more competitive in the rest of the game, the match was lost, along, likely, with their chances of playing in finals.
It was meant to be their big chance to demonstrate how they didn’t ‘need’ Ablett, that while he was great to be there, they could cover him. The superstar wasn’t needed to ensure the team’s success, only to enhance or complement the rest of the team. The cream on top, if you will.
Instead, the Gold Coast Suns showed they needed their superstar more than just about any other team needs a superstar. They needed Ablett as much as Australia needed Clarke and Miami needed James. But now they have shown their need is far more profound than both these latter two. The Suns are unable to move forward without Ablett and are even liable to go backward when he is not around.
Things may change over the remaining games of the season and next season. Perhaps the Suns will have shaken off their superstar dependence. Based on the evidence so far, however, there does not seem much likelihood of either occurring, which paints a grim picture for their prospects.
The Suns, like the Heat will need to do and like Australia already have done, need to find their way out of the superstar conundrum – and fast.
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