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Is the spotlight on Gary Ablett unfair?

Expert
3rd June, 2015
27

Gary Ablett may have only played one game this season, but he hasn’t escaped the chafing surveillance of the football world.

On Monday night, Jonathan Brown launched a scathing attack on the Gold Coast captain, imploring him to get back on the field and lead his beleaguered side.

Brown – whose playing career was characterised by his ability to run back with the flight of the ball, crash through packs and continually put his body on the line – suggested Ablett lacked the courage of other captains, such as Tom Rockliff, who always played through pain.

It’s not the first time Ablett has been singled out for his behaviour at the Suns.

Since he was lured to the Gold Coast on the fattest cheque in AFL history, Ablett has had the discretion to do things the ‘Gary’ way.

Ablett’s desire to warm up by shooting hoops away from the team has been well documented, and has come to represent what many perceive to be as preferential treatment for the Suns’ star recruit.

But has that preferential treatment now come at a much greater cost?

The shoulder injury that prematurely ended Ablett’s 2014 season continues to haunt the dual Brownlow medallist, as well as the Suns. It was the catalyst for the demise of Guy McKenna, and has done little to detract from Rodney Eade’s critics after less than 10 games in the top job.

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And now it appears to be the instigator for Ablett’s criticism from Brown, who deemed Ablett’s refusal to inject painkillers as selfish.

While it’s Ablett’s right to refuse, it does little to belie his reputation of putting himself before the team. Yet football careers are finite beasts. Indeed, they span two decades at most (I’m looking at you, Dustin Fletcher).

After all of the bumps, breaks and bruises, there is a life after football, and that life must also be taken into account when assessing whether or not one plays. Is it really fair to force Ablett to play with painkillers if he is worried about the wellbeing of his body and his ability to use his shoulder once he retires?

The strangest part of Brown’s condemnation was that it was the toll football took on Brown’s body that forced his hand into retirement. Brown had a wife and three children to think about, not just the Brisbane Lions. And, ultimately, these considerations were deemed more important.

So do we owe Ablett the same consideration? Yes and no.

Yes, because Ablett is a champion of the game and deserves the time to heal his body in the best way possible.

No, because of the role he accepted when he came to the Suns: to lead.

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While Jonathan Brown’s career ended due to health concerns, his leadership at the Lions was never in question. But since Ablett accepted the role at the Suns, his leadership has always been under the microscope.

The Gold Coast Suns’ form in 2015 has been pathetic, although that’s been explained away by Ablett’s injury, as well as injuries to Jaeger O’Meara, David Swallow and Dion Prestia.

But it’s the Suns’ form off the field that deepens the malaise.

On Wednesday Charlie Dixon and Jack Martin were sanctioned by the Suns for drinking the night before their match against Hawthorn last Saturday.

The night before the game. What were they thinking?

This latest infraction comes on the back of the suspension of four players – Harley Bennell, Trent McKenzie, Brandon Matera and Danny Stanley – who defied team instructions by drinking, leaving many to wonder whom exactly was responsible for enforcing team standards at the Suns.

Is it Ablett? If so, his message clearly isn’t getting through. And if it’s not Ablett, here’s a message to the Suns: rethink your leadership.

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The Suns are in the midst of an identity crisis and risk fading to total irrelevance if the leaders at the club don’t stand up.

While the spotlight on Ablett may be harsh, it’s also to be expected. His club is in turmoil and he needs to respond accordingly.

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