If the struggles of two-time Brownlow Medallists Adam Goodes and Gary Ablett Jr so far this season is anything to go by, then we could be saying goodbye to these long-serving players at the end of this season.
Goodes has chosen to play a full match in the reserves rather than start as the substitute for the Sydney Swans in their intracity showdown against Greater Western Sydney, while Gary Ablett Jr has been ruled out indefinitely after submitting two below-par performances in his return from a shoulder injury.
The former’s decision to go on for a 17th season earned the ire of retired Swans champion Jude Bolton, who suggested on Channel Seven‘s AFL Game Day last Sunday that Goodes may have played on for “one season too long”.
However, John Longmire hit back by saying that he was still part of Sydney’s best 22, even if it meant starting him as the substitute, as was the case against Port Adelaide last Saturday night.
Goodes was substituted out of their Round 1 match against Essendon and it may have been a turning point as the Swans came back from 41 points down in the third quarter to win by 12 points.
His statistics in the Swans’ opening two matches against the Bombers and Port were very low by his standards, with returns of just nine possessions and four tackles, and six and none respectively.
So rather than starting as the sub for the second week in a row, the man himself has decided to go for a full run in the reserves and forgo his place in the side that will face the GWS.
The 35-year-old has compiled just about the best footballing resume possible, winning two Brownlow Medals, the 1999 AFL Rising Star Award, being one of only five players (the others being Vic Belcher, Ryan O’Keefe, Lewis Roberts-Thomson and Jude Bolton) to have played in more than one South Melbourne-Sydney premiership side and is the current record games holder for the Swans with 353 games (and counting).
Last year Goodes didn’t play his first match until Round 6 after going down with a long-term knee injury against Port Adelaide midway through the 2013 season. His absence throughout the second half of the Swans’ ultimately unsuccessful title defence was the longest injury layoff in his distinguished and decorated career.
However, he bounced back and went on to play every game for the rest of the year, bringing up his 350th AFL game against North Melbourne in the preliminary final before suffering his second grand final loss as a player (after 2006).
But his poor performances against the Bombers and Power, which have overshadowed the Swans’ 2-0 start to this season, could be enough to suggest that he is well past his best. Retirement could be on the horizon rather than a bid to become the club’s first triple premiership player.
The burning desire to achieve that, after the Swans were thrashed by Hawthorn in last year’s grand final, was one of the factors that initially drove him to play on for a 17th season.
On the other hand, it appears obvious that Gary Ablett Jr is not back to his best yet, after his reconstructed shoulder failed its first two tests against Melbourne and St Kilda.
Like Goodes, Ablett is also a two-time premiership player and a two-time Brownlow Medallist and the shoulder injury he suffered against Collingwood last year sent a massive shiver down the spines of not just Suns fans, but also AFL fans.
It was the first major injury of Ablett’s distinguished career and it ruined any chances he had of becoming the first repeat Brownlow Medallist since Robert Harvey in 1997-98, his form up to that point having been exceptional.
It also ruined any chance the Suns had of reaching the finals for the first time and their inability to regularly win without him in the side was what led to foundation coach Guy McKenna being sacked at the end of the season.
New coach Rodney Eade suggested upon his appointment as Suns coach that Ablett had the potential to become the Michael Jordan of the AFL. However, the little master has failed so far this season to rediscover the form that saw him reign as one of the best players in the AFL over the last eight years.
Ablett currently sits on 270 AFL games and remains on track to play his 300th AFL game at some stage next season, yet his indefinite absence has come at the worst possible time for the Suns. They face a horror fortnight with trips to Geelong (to face the Cats) and Canberra (to face the Giants).
Eade has challenged his players to step up in their captain’s absence as they face the prospect of going 0-4 to start the season. Depending on how long he is out for, it could provide another long-term glimpse of life after him.
It pains many to think that Gary Ablett Jr may never return to previous form, and the same could be said for Adam Goodes.
The same could also be said for Adam Goodes, whose self-enforced demotion to the reserves could be seen as the beginning of the end for the Swans veteran, as was the case with Ryan O’Keefe last year.
Will either play on next season? We might get a clear answer deeper into the season.
Who’s in your ultimate team? Pick the best team and compete with other fans for daily prizes on Draftstars. For the best odds on the game try out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Think. Is this a bet you really want to place? Set a deposit limit.
Round 5 of the AFL provided plenty of action, from big scorelines to upset wins and pressure starting to build on some clubs and coaches already.
Sean Lemmens was given a four-match ban for this crunching tackle - is it a fair whack?
Geelong has been crafty and creative in its list management and has quietly assembled a very exciting young group of midfielders and half-forwards.
Brisbane co-captain Lachie Neale will be looking to lead his team to a victory against Melbourne in what will be his 250th AFL game.
It’s high stakes with five teams having lost their first three games of season 2024, and in desperate need of a win.
It could be a weekend for contenders to emerge, teams to hopefully break droughts, o and overall footy to have a party.
