For much of the 2015 AFL season, we asked ourselves whether Gary Ablett was still the best player in the game, or if he had been overtaken by Fremantle superstar Nathan Fyfe.
Ablett – widely considered the league’s best player for half a decade or so now – began the season with a whimper, rather than a bang, having little impact in Gold Coast’s first two games and clearly still suffering from the shoulder injury that ended his 2014 season prematurely.
He then took something of a hiatus from footy, an extended period in which he looked to regain confidence in his shoulder before making a return.
During that time, Fyfe rose. After polling the second most Brownlow votes of any player last year – ineligible for the award behind only the winner Matt Priddis – he started the 2015 season with a bang.
As the Dockers won their first nine games of the season, Fyfe made his case to be best on ground (or close) in just about all of those wins.
Had Ablett been fit and playing at the time we could have made a genuine comparison as to which was in better form – was Gary still number one? Or had someone finally overtaken him?
His shoulder injury, unfortunately, left things up in the air. When was he going to return? What kind of shape would he be in when he did?
Fyfe had become regarded as the number one by many, but nothing could be certain until we knew what to make of Ablett’s future.
Then like Jesus himself, the man often known as the ‘Son of God’ returned to the stage and immediately blew us all away.
You’d expect a player returning from a long lay-off like his to be a bit rusty on his return, but such expectations are for mere mortals. When Gary came back it was in glorious fashion – 31 disposals, three goals, and a 54-point upset win over North Melbourne.
He followed that up with 30 touches and a goal the next week against the Bulldogs, then produced one of the best games of a storied-career against GWS, recording not just 30 disposals and three goals, but a career-high 17 tackles.
If there was any doubt at that point about Ablett’s confidence in his shoulder, it was gone. You don’t lay 17 tackles in a game without full confidence in your body.
He started well against Adelaide last weekend to, but an innocuous knock to his knee was to bring disaster.
As teammate Matt Shaw went down in a contest his back struck Ablett in the knee and, as the ball spilled out over the line, so did Ablett, hopping on his right leg and wincing with pain.
Limping badly, Ablett struggled to the bench and was immediately subbed out of the game. Then, yesterday, Gold Coast announced that Ablett’s season was over, with scans revealing he’d torn the medial ligament in his left knee.
He’ll be in a brace for the next four weeks as he heals, but should be well and truly recovered in time for the 2016 season.
The question that still stands though is whether or not we can call Ablett the best player in the league.
His performances in the three weeks he was able to string together games without injury certainly seem a class above anyone else. But doesn’t the fact that we will only have a three-game sample to work from this year raise a few questions?
At the age of 31, the Gary Ablett era can only last so much longer. And with just 15 games under his belt in 2014, and this year just six – the lowest return he has had in a season, ever – it’s reasonable to ask if his body is starting to fail him.
For what it’s worth, I’m an Ablett believer. While he’s had a terrible run of bad luck lately, I think it’s just that – bad luck.
After all, it’s not as if he has started to have recurring injuries, he’s just been involved in a few unrelated freak accidents. His shoulder injury, and now his knee, both came from unfortunate on-field accidents, rather than from the gradual wear-and-tear.
I believe that when Ablett comes back in 2016, he will still be the best player in the game. The kind of impact he can have on a game – not just in his own form, but in how he lifts his teammates – simply can’t be argued with.
Nothing has gone to plan for the Gold Coast Suns this year. Ablett has joined Jaeger O’Meara, Dion Prestia and David Swallow on the ‘season over’ list – that’s four of the top five from their 2014 best and fairest, playing a combined total of just 20 games this year.
But if things go more to plan next year, it’ll be good times, for Ablett and the Suns. He could easily win a third Brownlow, joining legendary names Haydn Bunton, Dick Reynolds, Bob Skilton and Ian Stewart. The Suns could make finals.
Nat Fyfe is gunning for top spot. Scott Pendlebury and Lance Franklin can never be counted out. Even Todd Goldstein is pushing his name to the pointy end of the competition. But the era of Ablett is not over yet – not by a long shot.
Damien Hardwick has predicted Toby Greene's one-match suspension will be upheld by the AFL tribunal, but the triple-premiership coach says he wouldn't ban the…
An angry Horse at the SCG!
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.
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.
